Of Dreams and Nightmares
by SK Dark Dragon
Summary: As Spike lays dying from his final fight with Vicious, the story of his past plays out before his eyes, like dreams and nightmares, with no line to seperate the two. But meanwhile, can anyone save him from dying again, and perhaps in a more permanent way?
1. Of Dreams and Nightmares

**Of Dreams and Nightmares**

Notes: An interesting way I found to merge the two story ideas I'd been debating about writing. This kind of idea probably been done before, but oh well. I don't own Cowboy Bebop, but I do own this fic.

Please leave a polite review when you've finished reading, and enjoy!

* * *

_Dreams_

The black velvet sky looming above looks down on the face of each planet, the stars twinkling brilliantly. The night sky can be a beautiful place, like something from a dream. Each star is like a diamond glittering in the sunlight, their multitude causing one to feel like he's not alone, even if he really is.

However, the night sky can also be a place of nightmares, where harsh realities are constantly reminded, and the darkness all around choking out any feeling of hope left in a man. The stars become like eyes, watching, criticizing, and ridiculing.

But for a person who lies on the cold cement ground and stares up at the sky once more before slipping away into a deep slumber, the line between dreams and nightmares becomes vague and undistinguishable.

Is not the sweetest dream that comes to a bitter end a nightmare as well? But then is a nightmare that suddenly opens up to the vague light of hope in the distance really a dream?

Memories become like that of dreams and nightmares: vague and distant, but at times the pain and joy become so real it is as if one is living them all over again...

* * *

It was a dark and cloudy night, rain beating down on the tops of the buildings. A sea of umbrellas could be seen shuffling from building to building outside in the streets of the city. A thin line of lightning flickered by an open window, the howling wind blowing into a darkened room.

"But why?" A young woman asked abruptly as she snapped the window closed, blocking out the howl of the storm, her voice smooth but confused. "The government wouldn't send you out there to defend them."

She turned around to face a man standing in the shadows of the room, brushing a strand of her blonde hair out of her eyes. The man made an impatient sound, his narrow blue eyes opening as he spoke.

"Of course not," he replied coldly, his arms folded across his chest. "It's not the government that's sending us out; it's the syndicate."

The woman's eyes widened slightly as the window blew open again. Growing a bit frustrated, she shut the window and locked it once again, and then turned back to face the man.

"The syndicate?" she repeated, baffled. "Why?"

The man shook his head, a small smirk forming on his face.

"You should have figured that out, Julia," he replied simply, the woman raising an eyebrow. "Too many of the syndicate's members are eligible, and if they didn't send some of them out to Titan, it would increase the risk of the whole operation being found out by the ISSP."

Julia sighed, her gaze returning to the window as she watched the storm going on outside. There were a few minutes of silence in which neither of them said anything. Then, she spoke up again.

"And...how long will you be away?" Julia asked calmly, her eyes disappointed as they reflected the neon lights from the building across the street.

The man shrugged, running his hand through his white hair, picking up a black handgun that had been lying on the table and sliding it into its place on his belt.

"However long it takes to end this damn war," he replied darkly, Julia gently clenching a fist as her side.

"I see," she replied as the man walked toward her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It won't be long," he assured her, Julia looking into his cold, blue eyes. "I'll be back here with you sooner than you think."

"I hope so," she replied, pulling the man closer as she wrapped her arms tightly around him.

The two stood there for a moment, locked in the embrace, and then the man pulled away. He turned and walked over toward the door, his eyes narrowed in determination. Julia could feel tears come to her eyes as she watched the man open the door, as if she were watching a blurry, slow motion movie.

"Be careful, Vicious," she called after him as the door shut. "Be careful..."

Julia trailed off, sighing as she walked over to the window and stared out at the rain once again, pressing her hand against the chilly windowpane. Despite his words, deep in her heart she knew that it would be a long time before she would see Vicious again.

A very long time.

* * *

The war on Titan was long and grueling, and many men fell on both sides to the cruelty of the war, whether in combat, through strange experimentations on the soldiers, or by their own comrades. But eventually, the bloody war finally ended and the survivors of the massacre were allowed to once again return to their former lives.

The sky was hazy as the various ships began to land on Mars, reuniting families and friends. The atmosphere was a mix of sorrow for those lost and joy at those who had returned all throughout the city as the man called Vicious stepped off the ship, his cold eyes appearing even colder than they had been before he'd gone off to Titan.

There were people, men, women, and children alike, all milling about on the streets, laughing and embracing one another. Out of the corner of his eye, Vicious spotted a younger man in his early twenties looking around for someone, a smile on his boyish face.

"Grencia Eckner?" Came a sharp voice that startled the younger man as he looked up, his long, purple-tinged hair falling behind him.

Standing near the man were several men in dark blue uniforms, one holding up a badge and a piece of paper with the young man's photo on it.

"Yes, is there something you need, officer?" The young man replied, looking warily at the three officers.

"We have a warrant for your arrest," The officer replied sternly, the young man's eyes widening as he backed up.

"What?!" he exclaimed, looking baffled. "On what charges?!" he demanded as the men surrounded him.

Vicious, however, looked away from the scene unfolding to his left and browsed the crowd in front of him. Behind several rows of people anxiously waiting for their loved ones to exit the aircrafts. It was there that he locked eyes with a woman in her mid-twenties.

Julia broke into a smile as she dashed toward the white-haired man, her heart soaring. As she approached, she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a one-sided hug. Vicious put his hand slowly on her shoulder.

"Finally," Julia murmured, blinking to keep her tears from falling. "You were gone so long I..."

The woman trailed off, pulling herself away from Vicious and studying him with narrowed eyes. Something about him seemed...different.

"It has been a while," Vicious murmured, looking around at the city and up toward the cloudy sky.

Julia nodded, trying to place her finger on what was different about the man she'd watched walk out the door and off to the war nearly two years before. She couldn't find it, though.

* * *

_Nightmares_

A tall, dark building stood in the middle of the city. Its outer-appearances were deceiving, since it was built just like all the other corporations on Mars, but inside resided the headquarters of a major crime syndicate.

Vicious walked through the doors and over to the elevator in the lobby, pushing the button with his black-gloved hand and waiting for it to come to the bottom floor. He raised an eyebrow at two young boys who looked to be around thirteen years old, running through the lobby, laughing.

"What has become of this organization?" he murmured darkly as he rode the elevator up to a middle-level floor and stepped off into the dimly lit hallway.

Silently, the dark man walked through the hallway and down a narrow corridor into a meeting room. Several men whom had also served in the Titan War were gathered in the room, as well as a few younger people Vicious had never seen before.

"So you have returned as well, Vicious," An elderly voice spoke from the back of the room, and the white-haired man nodded toward several of the high-ranking members of the syndicate, who were seated in the back of the room, half-hidden by shadows.

A young man with greenish-tinged hair looked up at Vicious and raised an eyebrow.

"So I have," Vicious replied coldly, his blue eyes narrowed, as usual. "Why did you call me here today?"

One of the elders eyed the group of newer additions to the syndicate.

"While you were away, the syndicate acquired some new followers," Another elder replied, grinning. "Young people, full of zeal and enthusiasm for the job, not that you veterans haven't lost your enthusiasm."

One of the other war veterans eyed the crowd.

"And so?" he asked, speaking Vicious's thoughts out loud.

"And so you will become partners," A third elder explained, Vicious's gaze trailing over to the lot of newcomers. "Each one of you will choose one of them to be your temporary partner, in order to ensure that they learn the code here, and so that they aren't captured and executed on their first assignment."

The third elder laughed cruelly. The green-haired newcomer sighed, scratching his neck in boredom.

"Do we have to wait to be picked, or are there assigned partners?" he muttered, Vicious raising an eyebrow as he overheard the man. "I want to get to some action."

"You," he snapped suddenly, everyone turning to look at Vicious, who was glaring at the man who had just spoken. "The loudmouth. Come with me."

One of the elders raised an eyebrow as Vicious turned and walked back through the open doors, the tail of his black coat trailing behind him. The man who had spoken up narrowed his eyes and followed after Vicious, who was already halfway down the hallway.

"This will certainly be an interesting combination," The first elder mused, the others nodding in agreement as the remaining the veterans began to choose their new partners.

"Indeed," Another replied.

* * *

The green-haired man caught up to Vicious, striding quickly to keep up with him.

"So, I'm taking it I've been "picked," The man stated, Vicious narrowing his eyes.

"If you want to think of it that way," The white-haired man replied coolly, pushing a button on the elevator once again. "I don't tolerate cowardice, so a reckless hothead would be the best I could get out of that situation."

The man grinned, walking into the elevator as the doors opened and leaning back against the wall as the doors shut once more.

"So, you're Vicious?" The man asked after a moment, chuckling as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it.

Vicious nodded, curious about this person who had just become his partner.

"And you are?" The white-haired man asked in return as a cloud of smoke rose from the tip of the lit cigarette.

"Spike," The man replied, tucking his lighter back into his brown trench coat pocket and exhaling. "Spike Speigal."

Vicious raised an eyebrow as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

"Spike Speigal, hm?" he mused as the two stepped out of the elevator and back into the main lobby.

Spike grinned and nodded.

"Yeah," he replied, looking up at the tall ceilings of the lobby in admiration. "And you won't have to worry about cowardice; I'm not afraid to die," he added, looking over at Vicious, who raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Oh? And why is that?" he inquired, folding his arms across his chest.

Spike shrugged, still grinning as he looked around.

"Just because," he replied simply. "What's life if you can't take a risk? Besides, it doesn't matter. I'm just another person out there."

A small grin formed on Vicious's face.

"Interesting philosophy," he replied, walking toward the large entrance doors.

Spike tossed his cigarette behind him into the trash bin before following after the white-haired man, his eyes full of anticipation. The sun started to peek out from behind the clouds as the two men walked out onto the streets of the Martian city.

* * *

Please **review**, and next chapter up as soon as I can write it!


	2. Of Coincidence and Reality

**Of Coincidence and Reality**

Spike yawned, leaning against the side of a brown and peeling building, casually lighting a cigarette. The smoke rose up into the air, mingling with the evening fog as he slipped into the dark alley beside the building.

"Any second now," he muttered, pulling a shiny black handgun out his coat and checking to make sure it was loaded.

There were several moments of silence before a gunshot broke the still air in the distance. There was a shatter of glass and suddenly an array of gunshots filled the air. Spike grinned, darting out from the alley and coming face to face with several armed men.

"There's another one!" One shouted, raising his gun, but Spike was too fast for them.

He'd already shot both of them before they could even take aim. There was a shuffling noise behind him and Spike quickly whirled around to see several more armed men, their weapons already drawn.

Gritting his teeth, Spike started to attack the next batch as well, backing up as he did so. After two of his comrades had fallen, the third raised his weapon, a lock on Spike as he started to pull the trigger.

A gunshot rang out and Spike blinked, having felt nothing. Raising an eyebrow, he saw that the man who had been aiming at him had fallen over and a puddle of crimson blood was forming underneath him.

Spike turned around to see Vicious standing behind him, gun raised, smoke steaming from it. Spike grinned as several more of the attacking mob surrounded the two on both sides.

Vicious turned around and began to take down one side, while Spike took the other. Back to back, the two continued firing until the last man had fallen, and there was no one left to tell of the robbery.

"Well, so much for them," Spike mused as he and Vicious walked past the mess of corpses from the shootout, putting his weapon away.

Vicious scowled, tucking his gun away as well, the firearm brushing against a sword hanging off his belt.

"I prefer real combat," he muttered, Spike raising an eyebrow as the two walked through an alley. "Not with guns, but with knives and swords; weapons where strength actually matters in a battle. A gun is only useful so long as it has ammunition. A sword is always as strong as its wielder is."

Spike shrugged, pulling out another cigarette and lighting it.

"I guess," he muttered, stretching his arms out. "Swords are kind of old-fashioned, though. And guns are nice and compact," he added, patting his own, which was safely tucked away in its holster at his side.

Vicious didn't reply, and the two were silent as they walked back through the alley and onto the bustling city streets. No one knew that they had just stolen a piece of delicate information from the technology company a few blocks away. No one would ever know, most likely. That's how it always worked.

"I think I'm going to have some fun tonight," Spike declared after a while, his eyes falling upon a nightclub they were passing. "Care to join me?" he added, grinning as he moved toward the door.

Vicious narrowed his cold blue eyes.

"No," he replied immediately. "You do remember what happened last time you stayed out late at one of these clubs, don't you?" Vicious added, glancing over at his partner.

Spike gritted his teeth, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trench coat.

"That was almost a year ago," he replied hastily, getting defensive. "And besides, you were the one who told me that all of those syndicate associates were dead," Spike added.

Vicious chuckled a hollow laugh as a gust of wind blew by, ruffling his white hair.

"But I also warned you, didn't I?" he replied, turning his back to Spike, his black coat flowing in the wind. "When you're in this business, you have to keep your guard up at all times. When you mess with other corporations, they don't take it lightly. You're a constant target for attack. But go ahead and have "fun."

Vicious turned and starting walking in the opposite direction, Spike staring at the chipped sidewalk, his eyes narrowed.

"If you think it's worth the risk," The white-haired man added as he continued walking. "You don't want to lose the other one, now, do you?"

Spike sighed as Vicious walked off, and after a few minutes, he entered the club, hoping to leave his troubles outside.

* * *

It was late that night when Spike decided to leave the club that evening, tossing a cigarette stub into the trash bin before walking out into the chilly night air. Three of the four streetlights on the block were broken, making it dark and eerie-looking outside.

The man sighed, starting back toward his apartment. Spending the evening at the club hadn't really washed away his troubled thoughts, as he'd hoped it would. In truth, he'd been too preoccupied to do much enjoying at all.

As Spike walked through the dark and empty streets, the hairs on his neck prickled, and he felt as though he were being watched. After walking for a few minutes, the man turned around quickly for a moment, his eyes scanning the streets behind him.

No one was there.

Sighing, he continued walking forward, trying to put his mind at ease. A streetlight flickered as he walked by, creating eerie shadows on the walls of the darkened buildings.

A moment later, a gunshot rang out and Spike gasped, ducking just in time to avoid the bullet. Glaring, he whirled around to see several men wearing the same uniform that the crowd he and Vicious had fought earlier standing there, firearms raised.

"Damn!" he muttered, reaching for his own gun and firing at the men, hitting one in the chest as he dodged another bullet.

Spike winced as he felt a bullet graze him from behind, and he realized now that he was surrounded on all sides, and quite outnumbered. A bead of sweat trickled down his cheek as he continued to fight, backing up toward an alley, hoping to get a chance to escape.

A man from behind him lunged at him, but Spike punched the man in the face and easily flipped him back into the other attacking me. Panting, Spike turned to run into the alley when he felt a searing pain rip through his body near his shoulder.

Gritting his teeth, he realized he'd been shot. His vision blurred as he hurried around the corner and behind the buildings.

"Just need to get away..." Spike thought to himself, when another harsh blow came to him from behind, causing him to drop his gun with a clatter, the weapon skidding into the darkness.

Spike lunged out at the new attacker, realizing that Vicious's words had come true. When working for a syndicate, you're never safe. Taking your guard down was one thing you could not do, and now, he realized, he was paying for his mistake.

* * *

Julia sighed, signing a form at her desk and laying it atop a stack of papers beside her. She glanced over at the clock. It was well after one in the morning, and she hadn't even eaten dinner yet.

"Sometimes I wish I'd never gotten involved in this whole thing..." she murmured, picking up the stack of papers and walking over to a brown filing cabinet.

Julia brushed a stand of her long blonde hair behind her ear and then filed the stack of papers in their respective drawers. So many things to file...to keep up with...to keep covered up. It was sometimes overwhelming.

Sometimes it scared her, she admitted to herself as she walked downstairs and into the kitchen, the danger of all the things she was dealing with. But then again, the danger was what made it interesting at times. She stifled a yawn as she tied an apron around her waist and shuffled around in the cabinets for something to fix for dinner.

"Although," she sighed, spotting some eggs on the refrigerator rack. "I may as well just eat breakfast."

Julia reached for the eggs and had just decided to fix them when she heard a thumping noise outside. The woman turned around quickly, narrowing her eyes. Was it someone to see her...or just a no-good thug hanging around looking for trouble?

The blonde-haired woman felt to make sure she had a gun in her pocket just to be on the safe side before walking over to the front door and unlatching the lock. Curiously, she walked outside and onto the sidewalk, looking around.

There was no one near her door, she thought to herself, and she looked over to her left to see if they'd started to walk away since she hadn't answered the door right away. Julia's eyes widened, however, at what she did see.

"What on earth...?" she murmured, walking over to what appeared to be a man in his early twenties sprawled out on the ground, dark crimson stains splattered on his coat.

Julia knelt down beside the man and looked closely at him. He was still alive, although she didn't recognize him as anyone she'd ever seen before. But whoever he was, he looked as though he were in need of help.

* * *

A soft voice in the distance seemed to flood through Spike's mind, like the song of an angel, perhaps. It was sweet and calming, and for a moment, it really wasn't clear to him whether he were alive or dead.

Spike opened his eyes and glanced around confused. He'd managed to escape from the company security and then he'd found his way back onto the main streets. The last thing he remembered seeing was a bright light up ahead, and then nothing but darkness.

Blinking, Spike realized that someone had tended to all his wounds from the fight, thick bandages covering the gash in his shoulder from the bullet and the other cuts had been cleaned up as well. But who had helped him...and where was he?

Spike eyes wandered over to a woman seated in a chair across the room. She was reading a book, calmly humming the pretty tune that Spike had been hearing.

Julia looked up from the book she'd been reading and saw that Spike had finally come to. She stopped humming and looked over at the brown-haired man, her eyes concerned.

"Just like that..." Spike murmured, Julia tilting her head to the side. "Sing for me...please."

Julia smiled and started to hum again as she sat back down in her chair. However, as the wounded man fell asleep once more, she didn't return to reading her book. There was something about him that intrigued her, although she didn't know what it was.

* * *

Vicious walked into the Red Dragons' headquarters the next morning, the golden sun shining brightly behind him as the automatic doors shut behind him. There were several men talking in low voices over at a table in the corner of the room, and the two rambunctious teenagers were seated on one of the scarlet couches, reading through some manuals, looking rather bored.

Vicious rolled his eyes to himself as he got on the elevator and shut the doors.

"The syndicate would never trust them with anything of importance, even after their few years of experience," he thought to himself, putting his hand to his sword on his belt. "It takes more than experience to become a true asset."

The white-haired man stepped off the elevator and into the dim hallway, walking swiftly toward the room that would be the base of the next step in their technology breach. The chip that he and Spike had stolen the day before would give the Red Dragons access to nearly any location on the internet.

Vicious pulled on the brass handle of the door, opening it and walking into the scarlet-carpeted room. The ceilings were high, despite the fact that there were no windows in the room. Seated at the dark wood tables were several other men of similar rank to he.

"You got the information?" One of the men asked abruptly, looking up from the stack of papers he'd been going through.

Vicious nodded coldly, and reached into his black coat pocket. He produced a small, blue and green piece of metal with various silver markings on it onto the table, sliding it over toward the other men present.

"That should be the correct chip," Vicious added, his eyes narrowed as the other men inspected it, comparing it to the drawings on their computer and on the printouts they had.

A man with long, dark hair nodded, holding the chip up to the light from the ceiling lamps.

"It sure is," he replied, looking over at Vicious. "But that's only the chip the Marlen Corporation had. They had one of the two, and thanks to our historian's research, we've deduced that the Mars Technology Center downtown has the other."

Vicious stared unblinkingly back at them, waiting.

"The lead members say they want you and Spike to get the other chip as well, since you have been so successful lately," Another spoke up, looking around the room. "Speaking of whom, where is Spike?"

Vicious raised an eyebrow slightly.

"He didn't come in yet?" he asked in his monotone.

The man with the long dark hair shook his head.

"No, I haven't seen him at all," he replied, the others murmuring their agreement.

Vicious narrowed his eyes darkly.

"Idiot," he thought to himself, turning around, his black coattail flowing as he walked toward the door. "We'll take care of it," Vicious called back to the other men as he pushed the door open and walked out into the hallway, where a stream of sunlight was flooding in through the window at the end of the corridor.

* * *

Please leave a **review **and next chapter up as soon as I can write it!


	3. Of Reality and Dreams

**Of Reality and Dreams**

It was mid-afternoon, the orange sun glowing brightly in the sky, when Spike came to his senses once again. He shakily pulled himself up and glanced around the deserted room.

All he remembered of the night before, after the fight with the company's security, was the mysterious woman with the beautiful voice, but now she was nowhere to be found. Vaguely, he wondered what time it was, or what day even.

"What a stupid mistake..." he muttered to himself, wincing as he started to stand up.

There was a noise from another room, and Spike glanced over at the door just as the blonde-haired woman walked through, looking surprised to see him awake.

"Oh, you're finally awake," she mused as she placed a stack of papers she'd been carrying down on a desk.

Spike stared at her for a minute, and then nodded.

"Yeah," he replied, a bit confused still. "Thank you...for your help."

Julia shrugged, brushing a stand of her blonde hair behind her ear and walking over toward him.

"It's no trouble," she replied, her eyes wandering over to the wound in his shoulder. "What did you do, forget to pay back a debt to someone?" Julia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Spike chuckled, shaking his head.

"No, nothing like that," he muttered, sighing as his gaze fell to the ground. "I just...did something stupid."

Julia leaned against a large brown armchair a few feet away from the couch, looking interested.

"Really?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

Spike smiled in sad sort of way, still staring at the dark, hardwood flooring.

"I can't really give details, unfortunately," he replied, remembering the code.

Julia nodded with a sigh, understanding what he meant.

"I understand how that is," she murmured, turning around and putting a few more papers into their respective files in the filing cabinet. "It's the same with my situation, in a way."

Spike clenched a fist, gritting his teeth silently.

"You can't associate with anyone except for your colleges..." she murmured, closing the filing cabinet. "The rest of the world is your enemy."

"It's the same thing, day in and day out," Spike added in a low voice, Julia looking up in surprise. "It's like I'm living in a dream that I never wake up from; a reoccurring dream that just repeats itself over and over again, and I have no control over my actions. My moves are plotted for me."

Julia stared over at Spike, her eyes widened slightly. A bird twittered outside the window.

"Exactly," she whispered.

Spike looked up, and looked over at Julia for a moment before smiling in an embarrassed way.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, chuckling as he looked back down at the ground. "It just gets tiring after a while, I guess."

Julia nodded as she stared over at Spike curiously. She was about to reply when there was a sudden tapping on the door. Julia sighed, brushing her hair behind her as she walked across the room and into the next.

"I'll be back in a minute," she called back to Spike, who sighed, pondering the situation he was in now.

Most likely Vicious and the syndicate would have sent someone out to look for him, or else assumed him dead. Either way, no one was going to be too happy to hear about this.

"Especially since he "warned" me about it," Spike muttered, putting his hand to his head. "What a mess..."

* * *

Julia stifled a yawn as she undid the chain lock and pulled open the front door.

"Oh, Vicious, what are you doing here?" she asked, smiling as she greeted the white-haired man.

Julia stepped to the side, allowing Vicious to walk into the small house. She closed and locked the door and then turned around to face the man. Vicious folded his arms over his chest, looking a bit preoccupied.

"The computer chip information," he explained in a low voice. "I need a few of the documents you were instructed to keep for reference."

Julia nodded, gesturing to the next room, taking off her apron and hanging it up on a rack in the kitchen.

"I have them," she replied simply, Vicious watching her as she closed up a first aid box that had been resting on the counter. "They want you to get the second chip now, I assume?"

Vicious nodded as Julia pulled open the curtains that hung in the window over the sink, letting sunlight stream into the room.

"Yes."

Julia sighed, leaning on the sink, her back to Vicious.

"You didn't call me last night," she reminded him in a soft voice. "Like you said you would...after you'd gotten the first chip."

Vicious sighed impatiently.

"I'm sorry, I was preoccupied," he explained firmly, his gaze fixated on the door. "My partner insists on being a reckless idiot at times."

Julia raised an eyebrow, turning around to face him again.

"Speaking of reckless..." she added, her eyes wandering over to the door that lead to the next room. "Keep your voice down; I found a man who looked like he'd been attacked by a group or something outside the house last night."

Vicious turned sharply to face her.

"And you took him in?!" he demanded angrily, Julia narrowing her eyes.

"Why not?" she shot back, then calming down. "He looked so helpless I wasn't about to just leave him there. Besides, he's not such a bad person. I spoke to him this morning. He's in the next room, so don't speak so loudly if you don't want him to overhear."

Julia bit her lip, deciding to leave out the part of what Spike had said about not being able to tell much about his situation. For all she knew, he could be a member of a rival syndicate, but she wasn't about to mention that since Vicious already seemed against what she had done.

Vicious sighed, unfolding his arms and letting the hang at his side.

"Fine, it doesn't matter," he muttered, Julia following him across the room and over to the door that lead into the living room. "Just keep a close watch and get rid of him as soon as you can. In the meantime, I need those documents to proceed with my assignment."

Julia nodded, pushing open the door and walking over to the filing cabinet, unlocking it and rummaging around inside for the correct file. Spike raised an eyebrow and looked over at Julia from where he was sitting on the couch. His eyes wandered over to the open door, where a familiar figure was standing.

"Vicious?" Spike asked in disbelief, blinking to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Vicious looked over at the man who had just spoken, and his normally narrow blue eyes widened.

"Spike? What are you...?" he began, Julia turning around and look from one man to the other, confused.

"Vicious...do you know this man?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, narrowing her eyes.

Vicious sighed, feeling a sense of relief swim through him. So the man Julia had found was his own partner, who had gotten in over his head, once again. This made things much easier.

"Yes," Vicious sighed after a moment, narrowing his eyes at Spike, who still looked quite shocked. "He's my reckless partner."

Julia's eyes widened, the thought having never occurred to her.

"Really?" she asked, almost in a laugh, turning to Spike.

Spike sighed, scratching his head in confusion.

"Well, yeah," he replied, looking over at Vicious. "And how do you know her?" Spike asked Vicious, gesturing to Julia.

Vicious paused for a moment.

"She's the historian of the syndicate, Spike," he replied calmly. "In all your years here, you've never met her, I suppose."

Spike sighed, feeling embarrassed.

"Well, I'd have preferred to meet you on different circumstances, but..." he started, smiling at Julia. "Nice to meet you, ...er..."

"Julia," Julia finished, smiling back. "Yes, nice to meet you too," she replied, handing the manila folder to Vicious. "There's all the information you'll need."

Spike raised an eyebrow as he stood up and glanced over at Vicious and Julia.

"We get another assignment?" he asked quizzically.

Vicious nodded, leafing through the files in the folder.

"Yes, the syndicate wants the second computer chip, which can be found at the Mars Technology Center downtown," he murmured, his eyes narrowed. "But unfortunately it looks like your _fun_ last night has put you out of action."

Spike gritted his teeth.

"I can still go," he replied firmly, but Vicious shook his head.

"I can handle it myself," he replied, turning and walking toward the front door. "I hope you've learned your lesson. Oh, and Julia," Vicious added, the blonde-haired woman looking up from the filing cabinet, which she was locking again. "I believe there are some things for you to pick up at the headquarters."

Julia nodded, letting out a small sigh.

"All right," she replied. "I can take Spike back to his home while I'm out."

Vicious just gave a quick nod of approval and then walked out the door, closing it behind him. There was a moment of silence in which neither Spike nor Julia said anything. A bird chirped outside, and Julia sighed, smiling slightly.

"So," she said, Spike looking up. "I suppose this means you an I are living in the same dream, then."

Spike chuckled.

"I guess so," he replied.

* * *

Julia turned a corner as she drove toward the Red Dragon headquarters. Spike sighed, looking out at the foggy morning, realizing that his life had sunk back into its repetitive stream.

"So, how long have you worked for the syndicate?" Julia asked calmly, braking to a stop at a red light.

Spike shrugged.

"A couple of years now, I guess," he replied, moving the seatbelt so that it didn't lie directly across his shoulder wound. "Right after the war on Titan. What about you?" he asked, glancing over at her.

Julia shrugged, peering out at the road from behind dark sunglass lenses.

"Oh, I don't really know anymore," she sighed, her eyes fixated on the road. "Over six years, at least."

She broke off, as if she were going to say something else, but then decided against it. Spike eyed her, and then turned to look back at the passing scenery, the wind blowing in both their faces as the car went down the street.

"Ah, I see," he murmured in reply.

"Where do you live? I can drop you off there before I go over to the headquarters," Julia offered, pulling to a stop at another traffic light. "I'm sure they have plenty of things to keep me busy there."

Spike looked up.

"Oh, thanks," he replied, gesturing to the right. "Just in the apartment complex down the road."

Julia nodded, making a right turn when the light changed. A few minutes later, the two found themselves in the parking lot of the worn-down looking apartment complex. Spike opened the door of the car and stepped out, Julia watching.

"Thanks again," Spike added leaning on the car door as he looked over at Julia.

Julia smiled slightly, taking off her sunglasses and folding them up.

"It was no trouble," she replied calmly, taking a cigarette out of her jacket pocket and lighting it. "It was nice to meet you, Spike. Next time you're up at the headquarters and you have a moment...stop by my office. It's on the third floor, number 306."

Spike nodded, making a mental note of it as he stepped away from the car and started up toward the apartment building.

"Sure," he replied, waving back at her.

Julia watched from her convertible as Spike walked up to the apartment complex and went inside, as she smoked her cigarette. Something about him, and about what he's said earlier that morning, intrigued her, though.

She sighed, putting out her cigarette and putting her sunglasses back on. Julia started up the car again and backed out of the parking lot, eyeing the building once more. What she was so curious about, she really didn't know.

But secretly inside, she hoped he would come by again soon.

* * *

Review, please, and next chapter up as soon as I finish writing it! Hope you all are enjoying the story so far.


	4. Of Calm and Truth

**Of Calm and Truth**

The orange autumn sun shown brightly in the sky one afternoon as the people on the streets walked hurriedly toward their various destinations. The air was chilly as Spike walked across the street, looking down at the letter he'd received earlier that morning.

"The café on West Side, hm?" he mused, smiling, looking around at the shops and restaurants on the block.

It had been nearly a month since the computer chip incident, and ever since Spike's life in the syndicate had improved slightly. Although the jobs assigned to he and Vicious were sometimes tedious and often repetitive, seeing Julia at the headquarters in the mornings gave him something to look forward to.

She was always happy to see him too, even if they only talked for a few minutes at a time. Spike smiled, jumping over a fire hydrant and hurrying across the crosswalk, narrowly avoiding several trucks.

"There we go," he murmured, spotting the West Side Café up ahead.

He hurried over to the entrance and pushed the doors open, walking into the small café. There were small tables with polished surfaces placed a few feet apart from each other, several chairs surrounding each. Green-tinted lamps hung down from the ceilings, giving the café an eerie look.

Spike looked around, hoping to spot them through the crowd. A few tables away, near the back of the café, a blonde-haired woman looked up and waved. Spike grinned, walking over and joining the woman and another man at the table.

"Hi...sorry I'm late," he said apologetically, leaning back in the restaurant chair. "I couldn't quite find the place."

Julia smiled, setting the menu down on the table in front of her and looking up.

"It's no problem, they're pretty busy this evening anyway," she noted, looking around at the other tables, which were quickly filling up with other customers.

Vicious glanced over at Spike out of the corner of his pale blue eyes, and then returned his gaze to the menu.

"This is why I hate eating at popular restaurants," he murmured, Spike shrugging.

"Ah well, it doesn't really matter," he muttered, pulling a cigarette out of his package and lighting it. "Just time to waste, I guess."

Vicious rolled his eyes impatiently.

"I suppose," he muttered, eyeing Spike peculiarly again.

It confused him as to why Julia had suggested inviting Spike along with them. Normally whenever there was a free evening, he and Julia would go somewhere just to be alone and to get away from the syndicate life for a few hours. Bringing Spike along with them voided both of those two reasons for the café visit that evening.

Julia brushed her blonde hair back behind her ear, looking from Vicious to Spike, sensing that the conversation was nonexistent.

"So, how long have you two been partners?" she asked calmly, folding her napkin idly in front of her.

Spike shrugged, blowing a thin stream of smoke into the air.

"Ever since Spike joined," Vicious replied automatically, his voice cold and his eyes fixated on the menu in front of him, carefully avoiding any mention of the syndicate, since they were in public.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Spike looked up to see a waitress standing behind him, a pained smile on her face.

"Yeah?" he asked, sitting up straighter in the chair.

"This is a non-smoking restaurant, so if you'd kindly put out your cigarette or go outside..." The waitress explained in a forced-friendly voice, pointing to a sign on the door. "We'd greatly appreciate it."

Spike sighed, putting the cigarette out on the table, singeing the neatly polished finish. Julia chuckled as the waitress scowled, pulling out a notepad and a pen.

After the waitress had taken their orders and left, Vicious folded his arms across his chest, looking rather bored. Spike glanced around the table feeling restless. Shrugging, he stood up and pushed the chair back. The other two glanced up at him.

"I'm going to find the restroom," Spike explained, walking off toward the dimly lit corridor in the back of the restaurant.

Vicious sighed, his staring out the window of the restaurant as Spike walked off. Julia glanced over at another party seated at the table beside them, laughing merrily as the waitress came by with their dinners.

"Is something wrong?" Julia asked after a moment of silence, her voice calm, but low.

Vicious let out an impatient sigh as he glanced over at the blonde-haired woman out of the corner of his eye.

"Why should there be?" he replied coldly.

Julia narrowed her eyes, wishing things weren't growing as complicated as they were.

"You're not talking," she pointed out, fingering a chip mark on the wood table.

"I don't need to; there's nothing for me to say while your guest is around," he retorted.

Julia opened her mouth to reply when a humming noise from Vicious's jacket pocket filled the air, and Vicious snatched out a small, black phone. Narrowing his eyes, he answered the call and pressed the phone against his ear to listen.

Julia glanced over at Vicious, looking for some sort of indication as to who was on the phone.

"I understand," The white-haired man murmured in a low tone, standing up. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

As Vicious hung up his phone and tucked it back into his pocket, Julia raised an eyebrow, looking over at him.

"What is it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Vicious turned toward the door.

"Something came up at the base," he replied shortly, striding toward the door. "I'll be back in a bit."

Julia gritted her teeth, watching as Vicious brushed past a few new customers and walked out the door into the night air. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair, her gaze fixated on the chip in the table.

A few minutes later, Spike walked back to the table and pulled his seat out, Julia looking up abruptly. She smiled slightly.

"Oh, hi, Spike," she murmured, sitting up straighter as he looked around curiously, sitting down in his seat again.

"Where'd Vicious run off to?" Spike asked, looking confused as the new customers were seated at the table behind theirs.

Julia sighed, looking over at the door.

"He got a call from headquarters saying something had come up and that he'd be back shortly," she replied, the clinking of dishware audible from the kitchens in the back.

Spike sighed, brushing his bangs back.

"Great...maybe I should head over there and check it out too..." he muttered, glancing over at the door.

"No, Vicious seemed like he had things under control," Julia replied immediately, Spike glancing over at her curiously.

Julia looked away, watching at the waitress carted several trays of dinners over to a larger party seated in the back of the room.

"I'm sure he'll be back in a bit," she added, Spike shrugging.

"Okay, well, I'd rather be waiting here than figuring out some problem back at the base," he muttered, leaning back in his chair.

Julia nodded, glancing back over at him, studying him curiously.

"Your eyes," she murmured after a moment, leaning a bit closer to Spike.

Spike raised an eyebrow, looking over at her.

"Hm?" he asked, Julia tilting her head to the side curiously.

"Your eyes," she repeated. "They're different colors."

Spike chuckled.

"You actually noticed?" he asked, Julia smiling and nodding. "My left eye sees the past," he explained, Julia raising an eyebrow curiously, still staring into his eyes.

"Oh really?" she inquired. "Then what does your right eye see?"

Spike grinned, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

"What else?" he replied. "The beautiful person sitting in front of me."

Julia laughed, blushing slightly as the waitress wandered over, balancing the three trays in her arms.

"Sorry for the delay," she muttered, placing the dishes down on the table. "We're hopping tonight..."

"No trouble..." Julia murmured, smiling, taking her plate from the waitress.

It was twenty minutes later that Vicious came back to the restaurant, appearing even more annoyed than before. All throughout the dinner neither he nor Spike or Julia said much at all, but he still couldn't help feeling resentful about the fact that Spike was there at all.

* * *

"An associate of ours has generously agreed to sell a large amount of a new type of energy-boost drug to the syndicate," A short, oriental man declared, speaking to a large audience in a meeting room at the Red Dragon headquarters. "But the trade-off will be made in secret in exactly one week, so we need everyone to be at their best. You'll find your assignments in your folders."

As the crowd dismissed, Spike yawned, standing up and starting toward the door as well. _Another illegal drug trade-off, _he thought to himself with mock enthusiasm. _How exciting_.

"Can I see you for a moment?"

Spike blinked, turning around to see the oriental man walking toward him, looking a bit preoccupied. He stepped aside, letting the others who had been present at the hearing walk past him.

"I guess so," Spike replied, raising eyebrow curiously. "What do you need me for, Mao?"

Mao paused, as if not sure how to phrase what he wanted to say. Spike leaned against the wall, looking down at the scarlet carpets.

"Well," Mao began, picking up a stack of papers off a table beside him and organizing them. "I've just noticed that lately you've been...well, getting into a good deal of trouble."

Spike glanced up quickly, narrowing his eyes.

"Trouble?" he repeated, somewhat skeptically. "I haven't broken the code..."

Mao sighed, figuring the conversation would end up like this.

"No, it's not about the code, necessarily," he muttered, his gaze fixed on the stack of papers in front of him. "It just seems you're always getting in over your head. You've had more accidents than anyone else in this whole syndicate. Whether it's getting cornered by a group of thugs because you were out alone or missing something important because you didn't have your phone with you..."

Spike could feel his temper shortening.

"And your point is...?" he snapped, glaring up at Mao, who frowned somewhat nervously.

"Well, I think you need to be more responsible," he replied honestly, Spike clenching a fist at his side. "Look, Spike, I think you're a great person and I respect your abilities, but just feel that you're too lackadaisical with your work these days."

Spike didn't reply and instead chose to glare at the floor. Mao cleared his throat, half wishing he hadn't brought the subject up.

"Anyway, I also wanted to ask a favor of you," he added, sounding more pleasant. "You know those two boys...what are their names...Shin and Lin?" he asked, Spike raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he replied, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. "The brown-haired ones who are always doing research downstairs, right?"

Mao nodded, sighing.

"Yes, those two," he muttered, looking out the large window that covered the back wall panel. "They claim they want to help with something bigger than research, but honestly they just don't have the kind of skills they'd need in a real situation."

Spike glanced over at the oriental man, still a bit irritated.

"So what do you want me to do?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Train them?"

Mao shrugged, collecting a few other papers from various tables spread through the room.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind just spending some time with them and giving them a few tips," he replied. "Everyone would appreciate it. For one, they'd stop complaining, and maybe they'd actually turn out to be useful someday."

Spike shrugged, walking toward the door.

"I don't really like kids," he muttered frowning. "But I guess I'll give them a try."

"Thanks," Mao replied gratefully as Spike walked off into the hallway.

As the man left, Mao frowned again. He doubted anything he'd pointed out to Spike had sunk in, and that worried him. A reckless person doesn't like a very long life, he'd heard, and he was afraid that the phrase would prove to be true.

* * *

Please **review**, and next chapter up as soon as I can write it! Thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying the fic. 


	5. Of Feelings and Reasons

**Of Feelings and Reasons**

Julia sighed, hastily shelving folders and trying to sort out various information packets for the people who were coming in. As alert and on top of things as she appeared, her heart wasn't in her work that morning.

Questions and conflicting ideas were tugging at her mind and heart; the worst of it was that she didn't know anyway she could answer all of the questions she had. She was so much so involved in her train of thought that she didn't even notice when Vicious walked into the room.

"Information packet twelve," he asked icily after a moment, Julia turning around quickly and catching a gasp.

"Oh...sure," she murmured, bending down and looking through one of the filing cabinets. "I didn't see you come in."

Vicious didn't reply. Julia bit her lip, knowing that sooner or later she'd have to talk to him. Grasping the file, she stood up and brushed her skirt off, walking over to the white-haired man and handing it to him.

"I'm sorry," Julia said apologetically, checking to make sure there was no one in the hallway nearby. "About last night. I..."

She trailed off, trying to find the right words for the apology...but like her work, her heart wasn't really in it.

"I just thought it would be fun to do something with someone else too," Julia concluded, her gaze fixed on the scarlet carpet.

Vicious stared at her for a moment, then turned around and walked toward the door.

"Did I ever say that bothered me?" he asked coldly.

Julia clenched a fist, anger and confusion coming to a boil.

"No," she retorted. "Of course not. You never seem to say anything to me anymore."

Vicious didn't reply, and instead continued to walk away, out the door and down the hallway. Julia let out an angry sigh, sitting back down at her desk. Small framed pictures stared back at her from their positions on the desk; pictures of her family, pictures of old friends she hadn't seen in ages, and one picture that seemed older and more faded than the others.

A picture taken seven years earlier; in it, she and a younger, white-haired man were smiling, standing in front of the entrance to the Mars Halloween Festival. The memory of the event, although the picture was the newest addition to the desk, seemed old and distant. It was like a dusty old journal from years long past found in a box up in the attic.

Julia reached out and traced the outline of the picture.

"Why..." she murmured, her eyes sad, when suddenly, there was a tap on the open door.

Julia looked up abruptly and smiled as she saw Spike standing in the doorway, looking a bit preoccupied, himself.

"Oh, hi," she greeted him, opening up the filing cabinet again.

"Number four," Spike sighed, leaning against the doorframe, smiling back at her.

Julia fished through the collection of folders and pulled out one labeled number four. She slid it over to the edge of the desk, and Spike walked over to pick it up.

"Thanks..." he muttered, browsing through the contents.

Julia sighed, staring back at her photographs on the desk.

"No trouble," she replied, biting her lip. "Have you...have you ever thought you knew someone, and then you were away from then for a long time. But when you met them again...they were almost a different person?"

Spike looked up, surprised by the sudden question.

"No...I haven't really known anyone that long," he replied with a shrug, closing the folder. "Why?"

Julia shrugged, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear as she stood up.

"No reason," she replied softly.

There was an awkward silence. Spike stared over at Julia curiously. She seemed much more distant than she usually did.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, Julia shaking her head and returning to shelving things behind her.

"I don't know," she replied honestly, sighing.

Spike tilted his head to the side, tucking his information folder under his arm.

"Would by my place this evening, after you get off?" Julia suddenly asked, Spike blinking. "Just to talk."

Spike shrugged, smiling.

"Sure," he replied, still curious as he turned to walk out the open door. "See you then, in that case."

Julia nodded, her eyes fixated on the bookshelf as Spike walked away.

* * *

Vicious walked down the scarlet hallway of the Red Dragon's Headquarters, his icy blue eyes narrowed in thought.

"This whole syndicate," he thought to himself, clenching a fist at his side. "It's declining. The head of offices have become comfortable with their wealth, turning themselves into cowards. We only strike when things are assured. Corrupt. Weak."

Vicious's frown turned upwards into a cunning smirk.

"However..." he mused to himself, walking past several other officers in the hallway. "Things will change soon enough..."

* * *

Spike sighed, walking down the scarlet stairs of the syndicate headquarters, eyeing two boys in their late teens, both of who were waiting at the foot of the stairs. The two were nearly identical, both with short, dark-brown hair and green eyes.

One of the boys looked up at Spike raising an eyebrow.

"Are you the one who's supposed to give us something _real _to do?" he asked, Spike shrugging as he reached the bottom of the staircase.

"I'm just supposed to give you a few pointers," he replied calmly, a bit put-off at having to accept an assignment like this. "What're your names?" Spike asked looking from one to the other.

One of the boys stood up straighter, like a soldier.

"I'm Lin," he introduced himself in a firm voice. "My brother is Shin," he added, nodding over at the other boy, who was studying Spike curiously.

Spike groaned to himself, scratching his head in irritation.

"Lin and Shin and you look exactly alike," he muttered, walking past the two toward an empty meeting room. "Just great; follow me," Spike sighed.

Lin and his brother both hurried after Spike, determined not to mess up their one chance to be taken seriously. Spike stood by the door as the two boys walked in and then closed it behind them. Then, he turned to face the two.

"Okay..." he sighed, eyeing them. "So you know how to fight?"

Shin nodded quickly.

"Sure," he replied making his hand into the shape of a gun. "You aim and shoot."

Spike shook his head, waving his hand.

"No, no," he sighed, running his hand through his bangs. "That's easy, but more times than not, you're going to lose your gun in the middle of a fight. I mean do you know how to fight hand-to-hand?"

Lin eyed Shin angrily, as if his brother had just said something to make them look bad.

"I know a little bit from street-fighting back home," Shin continued, ignoring his brother's glare. "But nothing professional."

Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Street-fighting, huh?" he repeated, sounding amused. "Well, you've got the idea, then. No matter what anyone else around here says, I still say that the key to fighting is knowing a few moves, and then making it up as you go along. As long as you've got the right approach, it should be easy."

Shin looked fascinated by this, and even Lin had dropped his soldierly stance temporarily and was looking up at Spike in interest.

"Really?" Shin asked, looking a bit relieved.

Spike shrugged, folding his arms across his chest.

"That's the way I do it," he replied simply. "And it works for me."

Lin eyed Spike suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

"But is that how it's _supposed _to be done?" he asked skeptically. "I want people in this place to take me seriously."

"I can't guarantee that people will take you seriously or respect you, if that's what you mean," Spike replied, his face growing darker. "In fact, I don't think most of the people working here are taken seriously."

Shin raised an eyebrow, looking curious. Lin still looked skeptical as he sighed.

"Whatever," he replied airily.

* * *

It was late that evening when Spike finally got away from the headquarters. It had been a long day of listening to lectures and training the two boys. It wasn't really training them that was so taxing; it was Lin's constant and rather subtle put-downs.

Scratching his neck with a yawn, Spike trudged down the dark sidewalks toward Julia's place. Why she wanted him over to talk was beyond him, but he certainly didn't mind.

"At least she's one person who isn't always interested in how best to keep the syndicate going," he muttered, remembering his conversation with Mao that morning, and the brief touching upon of techniques with Lin.

It irritated him sometimes at how one-tracked everyone was at all times. It was as if they had only one thought on their minds; a thought that dominated their entire lives, and refused to let their true character show through.

Glancing over at the number on the side of a house, Spike stopped and walked up the sidewalk to the door.

"This is it..." he muttered to himself, remembering the house from the incident two months before.

Curious as to what exactly Julia wanted to discuss, he reached out his hand and tapped lightly on the door. There was a rustle of papers from inside, and the sound of shoes moving across the linoleum floor.

Julia pulled open the wood door and smile as she stepped aside.

"Hi, come on in," she greeted him, Spike returning the smile and walking into the house.

Julia closed the door behind him, turned, and locked several locks on the door tightly before facing him. She smiled a tired smile, and led Spike into the living room, where several stacks of papers littered her desk in the corner.

"So...what exactly did you want to talk about?" Spike asked curiously, scratching his neck, Julia smoothing out the wrinkles on the couch.

Julia sighed, shrugging as she stood up straighter, her back to Spike.

"I don't know, really," she replied, her eyelids dipping slightly. "I guess it's just because you're the only one who..."

She trailed off with a slight chuckle.

"I don't quite know how to put it," Julia sighed honestly, sitting down on the edge of the couch, Spike looking a bit confused. "When I first met you, you told me you felt like your life was a dream in which you had no control over your actions."

Spike nodded, sitting down on the other side of the couch, looking over at her.

"Yeah," he replied, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I did."

Julia narrowed her eyes in thought, her eyes fixed on the wood floors. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke, and the only noise in the room was the steady rhythm of the ticking from the clock on the wall.

Finally, Julia looked over at Spike more seriously.

"Why did you join the syndicate?" she asked suddenly Spike leaning back and shrugging slightly.

"Sometimes I wonder," he replied with a sigh. "I was a young nobody who wanted some action in my life...and I thought this was the way to get it. A life of adventure."

Spike let out a hollow laugh.

"Guess I was wrong," he concluded, glancing over at Julia. "So why did you join?"

Julia tilted her head to the side, studying Spike.

"I joined all those years ago because I wanted to be closer to someone," she replied calmly, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "But...sometimes I wonder if it was really worth it."

Spike nodded, Julia narrowing her eyes and looking away from him suddenly. He tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"Something wrong?" he inquired, Julia shaking her head quickly.

"No...just..." she began, but trailed off, glancing back over at him, the difference in the colors of his eyes very distinct in the lighting from the lamp on the desk. "Nothing," Julia finished, smiling.

Spike looked a bit confused still, noticing Julia had stopped making eye contact with him.

"I just wanted to talk to you alone because when I talk to you...it's as if talking to someone real," The blonde-haired woman admitted. Not to someone through a codename or a series of locks of keys. Just...a person."

Spike nodded slowly, looking over at her.

"Yeah...I know what you mean," he replied, a strange feeling welling up inside him.

A silence fell over the room, both Julia and Spike not speaking. The silence was broken a few moments later, however, by a wrapping on the front door. Julia jumped up, startled, Spike standing up slowly.

"I'm sorry, but you shouldn't really be here this late," she said quickly, taking his arm and leading him through a narrow hallway. "You should go out the back door."

Spike blinked, following after her as she opened a screen door at the end of the corridor, a wave of the cool evening air flowing into the stuffy hallway.

"Thank you for coming," Julia murmured, seeming a bit on edge as she smiled over at Spike, another series of wrapping sounds filling the house.

Spike smiled back at her, a bit confused by her strange actions, but happy at the same time.

"Sure," he replied as she smiled once more before closing the screen door and hurrying to answer the caller at the front door.

Spike smiled in a contented way, staring at the closed door for a few moments. Something about him felt fuller, more complete, than it had before. Something about Julia made him feel different.

Different...but in a good way.

The young man put his arms behind his neck as he walked off into the night, smiling.

* * *

**Review** please, and next chapter up as soon as I can write it!


	6. Of Jealousy and Proof

**Of Jealousy and Proof**

Spike sauntered down the street the next morning, the sun rising high in the sky and the breeze flowing through the trees in a pleasant way. Sighing, he turned into a magazine shop, the woman behind the front counter glancing up.

"Hey, Spike!" The woman greeted him, smiling as she heaved a stack of newspapers off the counter and stacked them up beside the front desk. "How've you been? I haven't seen you around much these days."

Spike glanced over, somewhat dazed.

"Hey Annie," he replied in vaguely distant voice, walking over to the counter and sitting down on one of the stools that were lined up in front of it. "Yeah, I've been kind of busy," Spike added glancing down at one of the newspapers that had just been delivered, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

Annie nodded, sighing and dusting off the shelves behind her.

"Understandable," she agreed. "With the new project and all," she added casually, referring to the new trade proposition.

"Mm hm..." Spike murmured, seeming distracted.

Annie turned around, raising an eyebrow. The brown-haired woman eyed the young man curiously.

"Are you okay?" Annie asked, Spike looking up, blinking.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, sounding a bit surprised.

"Are you in some sort of trouble or something?" she asked suspiciously, Spike shaking his head.

"No!" he responded instantly, waving a hand in front of him. "Nothing's wrong."

Annie studied Spike, still not satisfied. _Something_ was definitely different, she thought to herself. After a few minutes of silence, the woman was still baffled. Spike never acted like this. Normally he was always willing to talk whenever he stopped by. Today he just seemed so distracted...like his mind was on someone or something completely different.

"Oh..." Annie mused, a grin forming on her face. "So," she began casually, continuing with her dusting of the counters. "Who's the girl?"

Spike jerked up abruptly, looking over at Annie.

"What?!" he demanded, feeling his cheeks flush slightly.

Annie chuckled to herself.

_Gotcha, _she thought, grinning.

"The girl," she repeated calmly, Spike staring over at her. "Your face says it all, Spike. So who is she?"

Spike sighed, relaxing slightly. What was so wrong with it anyway? It was, after all, just a woman.

"I'm not seeing anyone," he replied firmly, resting his chin in his hand again. "I've just been talking to a woman at the headquarters recently."

Annie glanced over at him.

"Ohh, a syndicate girl?" she mused, noting that no one else was in the building to overhear them. "What's her name?" Annie inquired, resting her elbow on the counter.

Spike smiled slightly.

"Julia," he replied, just as his phone rang.

Sighing, he started to fish through his pockets for his phone, standing up.

"Sorry Annie, I've got to get going," he muttered, realizing he'd probably end up late to headquarters anyway. "Talk to you later," Spike added, answering his phone and walking out the door, the jingle of the door filling the room as Annie raised an eyebrow, looking slightly confused.

"Julia...?" she murmured, narrowing her eyes and tilting her head to the side, watching the young man walked down the street through the glass windows of her shop.

* * *

Vicious narrowed his eyes as he browsed a computer screen in one of the computer laboratories downstairs. It was as tedious as it was boring to search and make sure no one could find the Red Dragon's databases, but every once in a while, such as before a risky trade-off, it was necessary to back things up and improve security. 

Vicious was sure someone else had already backed up the files, but then again, he wasn't about to leave the fate of the assignment up to some incompetent rookie who might have slipped up in the coding. Also, there were other reasons why he needed a glimpse at some of the Red Dragons' most secret files.

"Hm..." he murmured, shutting down the computer after he was finished, standing up and heading toward the double-doors of the lab.

Pushing them open, the white-haired man stepped out into the hallway, nearly running into a brown-haired teenager.

"Sorry!" Lin cried apologetically, backing up immediately, looking worried. "I wasn't watching where I was going, sir."

Vicious raised an eyebrow at the older teen, studying him.

"That's fine," he muttered after a moment, turning and continuing down the hallway.

Lin bit his lip, debating with himself, and then he sprinted down the scarlet-carpeted hallway to catch up with the man.

"Excuse me," Lin said, looking up at the impassive Vicious, a bit nervous. "I've been wondering, since my brother and I have been training aggressively lately..." he explained, fibbing slightly.

They had only had one training session with Spike, if you could call it that, Lin added to himself. But still, to make them appear like active members of the syndicate, a little bluff couldn't hurt.

"I was wondering when the syndicate would start to assign us to actual duties," Lin concluded, glancing up at Vicious quickly and then back down at the floor, the two continuing to walk down the hallway.

Vicious eyed Lin as he continued walking.

"Do you understand what this place is?" he asked, looking amused.

Lin narrowed his eyes, clenching a fist.

"Everyone thinks that we're dense," he growled, his green eyes sparkling in the sunlight from the large window at the end of the hall. "We _understand_ this isn't a game; it's real. This is a crime syndicate, and by aiding it we're breaking the law."

Vicious slowed to a stop, narrowing his icy-blue eyes.

"So why do you want to be here?" he asked, Lin glaring at Vicious in determination.

"Because I want to," Lin replied boldly. "I don't care about the law. The government is no better than criminals, anyway. The Red Dragons have a code of honor, and even if they're criminals, I would rather be faithful to people of courage than to the lousy government."

Vicious smirked slightly, amused by this.

"Well said," he replied shortly, continuing down the hall again. "However, the _code_ is neither courageous nor honorable. At least not if you want to survive."

Lin watched Vicious disappear down the corridor, and stared after him for a long time, intrigued. There was something about him that was compelling, and honorable. Something Spike the teacher didn't have.

* * *

Julia sighed as the elevator lurched to a stop at the eighth floor, and she eyed the doors skeptically as they opened. Her eyes widened, however, as Vicious stepped into the car and pressed a button on the panel. Then, without a word, he leaned against the silver bar on the other side of the elevator, across from Julia. 

Julia eyed Vicious, her eyes narrowed, as the elevator doors shut in front of the two and the car began to descend. Julia reached into her pocket, pulled out a pair of black sunglasses, and started to unfold them.

_I always seem to put these on when I'm being cautious, _she thought to herself, sliding the smooth glasses onto her face. _Or when I'm hiding something, _Julia admitted, leaning back against the silver railing as well. _Always._

She couldn't really tell whether or not the glasses just reminded her of older times, when she had to be on her guard daily due to the wild crowd she hung out with, or whether she felt that it would hide her emotions and expressions.

Without emotion, she wouldn't be as vulnerable, and it would make her harder to read. Vicious glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What are you hiding, Julia?" he asked calmly, a small smirk on his face "You don't think I haven't picked up on your little habit after all these years, do you?"

Julia sighed, staring ahead at the elevator numbers as they grew lower and lower.

"Nothing," she replied calmly. "Besides, why should I have to hide anything from you? What I'd like to know is what you're hiding from me."

Vicious chuckled slightly.

"Hiding?" he repeated as the elevator slowed to a stop at the bottom level. "Julia, you know I've told you everything. You know what you need to do to survive in this syndicate."

Julia glared at Vicious, although he couldn't see behind the sunglasses. The elevator doors opened and Vicious stepped out, leaving Julia alone in the elevator as it closed up once again.

Sighing, she bit her lip.

_Do I really know all there is to know about the future? _she thought to herself, tilting her head back and staring up at the ceiling. _Or do I even like what I know?_

* * *

"Hey, Vicious?" 

The white-haired man looked up as the elevator doors closed behind him to see Spike walking toward him, the greenish-haired man looking a bit frustrated.

"Have you seen those two kids, Lin and Shin, around?" Spike sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm supposed to give them another lesson or something..."

Vicious sighed silently to himself.

"I think I saw one of them upstairs on the sixth floor earlier," he replied vaguely, adjusting his sword that hung down at his side beneath his dark coat. "Where have you been all morning?" he added rather skeptically.

Spike shrugged, moving toward the elevators.

"Just overslept..." he replied casually. "Did anything else come in on the new assignment?"

"A few minor pieces of information," Vicious replied. "The move will be made next week, Spike. Are you ready?"

Spike clenched a fist in his coat pocket as he pressed the elevator button with his free hand

"Yes," he replied firmly. "No reason I shouldn't be."

Vicious smirked slightly, then grew serious again as the elevator doors slid open.

"One more thing, Spike," he added, glancing at the greenish-haired man over his shoulder. "Be careful when you're with that woman."

Spike raised an eyebrow, turning around to face Vicious.

"Who?" he asked quickly, taken off guard.

Vicious started to walk away, the tail of his black coat flowing behind him.

"Women aren't always what they appear to be," he whispered in a voice that sent a bit of a shiver down Spike's spine. "They're ruthless and cunning. Don't believe everything you're told."

Spike stared after Vicious as he disappeared into the crowd of people walking through the crowded lobby. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Spike slipped through the elevator doors as they were closing and pushed the button to take him up to the information floor.

He sighed, leaning against the wall of the elevator, narrowing his eyes.

_What did mean? Was he trying to give me a message...and who was he even talking about?!_

The only woman that came to Spike's mind, however, was Julia.

* * *

Days passed slowly, and nights passed all too quickly for Spike during that week before the trade-off. All day was spent in preparations, meetings, and occasionally listen to other people tell him he needed to get his act together. The rest of the day was spent training Shin and Lin, which was becoming increasingly more tedious, as Lin had developed a sort of haughty attitude that made giving him instructions a nightmare. 

Shin, on the other hand, really didn't say much at all. He seemed to lack the enthusiasm Lin was so full of. He did, at least, give Spike some credit for being one of the more known men in the syndicate. Lin, however, only gave Spike credit as being "Vicious's partner."

Nights, however, were spent with Julia. The first night, the two went out to the park, walking along the empty sidewalks, talking. All the nights after that were spent in similar fashion, with no entertainment to speak of except for each other's company.

It was just being with Julia that made Spike happy. It made him feel alive and complete; a piece of him that wasn't there unless she were around, so to speak. It didn't matter what they talked about, since it was usually just common and boring things. Every once in a while, the syndicate would come up in a conversation, but even it wasn't so bad anymore.

_Nothing was so bad anymore._

Or so he thought.

* * *

Julia sighed, her gaze fixed on the ground as she and Spike walked back toward her apartment building. It was late in the evening, past ten at least, and the two were making their way home from the park again. 

"I want to thank you for spending these evenings with me," The blonde-haired woman murmured softly, Spike raising his eyebrows and glancing over at the woman. "They've been so enjoyable, almost like..."

She trailed off, a bird rustling around in a tree as they crossed the empty street.

"Almost like?" Spike repeated, curiously.

Julia shook her head.

"Nothing," she replied, smiling over at Spike. "Something I wish that I weren't involved in this syndicate; that I could be free to live my own life."

Spike nodded, his expression growing darker.

"Yeah," he agreed, staring up at the sky. "I know what you mean."

"But..." Julia continued, smiling softly as the two approached the apartment complex. "There is one good thing about this syndicate, even if my joining was a mistake."

Spike slowed to a stop, turning to face her.

"What's that?" he asked, Julia looking up into his eyes.

There was a pause as a soft breeze blew by, one of the stairs up to the apartments creaking in the wind.

"I met you," she replied softly, leaning closer to him.

Spike could feel his heart soaring as Julia slipped her hand into his as she leaned close. He leaned closer to her as well, and suddenly, the distance between the two, however small, seemed far to great. Each second seemed like an eternity, when suddenly, there was a loud creak on the stairs. Startled, the two turned to face the staircase, moving away from each other.

Julia's eyes widened, her heart thudding in her chest, as her eyes fell upon a man standing at the top of the staircase, looking down at the two. Spike squinted to see through the darkness of the night who it was shadowed on the stairs. Then, he swallowed, recognizing the figure.

"Vicious!" Julia gasped in a whisper, the white-haired man narrowing his eyes down at them, the blue hue in his eyes colder than ice.

* * *

Please _review, _and next chapter up as soon as I can write it! 


	7. Of Right and Wrong

**Of Right and Wrong**

Spike blinked, feeling a bit awkward as he noticed Vicious's eyes trail downward, taking note that he and Julia were still holding hands. His icy eyes narrowing, Vicious turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows on the staircase.

Spike felt Julia's hand slip out of his grasp, and he turned to face her, a confused expression on his face.

"What is it?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly, staring at her.

Julia bit her lip, looking away.

"N...nothing," she murmured, brushing past him and walking up the stairs. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Spike stared after her as she walked upstairs, a clap of thunder rolling in the distance somewhere. Spike stood there for a few moments after she'd gone out of sight, and then sighed as a steady rain began to fall behind him.

_What happened? Was this part of what Vicious meant in his warning?_

Spike walked out into the rain, leaning against a brick wall that had graffiti spray-painted on the side. The young man sighed, leaning his head back and facing the sky, closing his eyes and letting the rain wash over him.

_Or is it something I'm not seeing..._

Spike narrowed his eyebrows as the chilly rain continued to fall, soaking his brown jacket and shirt, but he didn't seem to feel it. A cold realization was suddenly overtaking him, colder than the rain; colder than the icy glare of Vicious'.

_..."Have you ever thought you knew someone, and then you were away from them for a long time. But when you met them again...they were like a different person?"_

_..."It's almost like..."_

Spike sighed, his back growing stiff from leaning against the brick wall.

_It all makes sense, _he thought to himself. _Why didn't I ever see it before? All this time I've been falling in love with her...and never once did I see it; never once did I suspect the person closest to me was also..._

There was a crackle of thunder in the distance. It was a long time before Spike left, the rain beating down on him, the young man more confused than ever.

* * *

Julia sat by the window of her apartment, staring out at the falling rain, her mind whirling with questions and conflicting views. Part of her couldn't let go of the past...and the other part of her longed to move on in her life. But she knew she could only choose one path, and only one of the two people who symbolized those ideas. 

Sighing, Julia stared at her own reflection. Why was it that Vicious wanted her so badly, even though he paid little attention to her? And just what was it that Spike saw in her that he loved so much?

_Am I starting to doubt myself?_

She hadn't been able to find Vicious since he'd seen she and Spike from the top of the stairs. Was he angry, or did he even care? Things had become a whirlwind of confusion. Biting her lip, she put her hand to her head, leaning against the chilly windowpane.

_What's right and wrong anymore?_

Suddenly, there a tapping sound from downstairs, and Julia narrowed her eyes, sighing as she stood up and walked toward the sound.

_Who would be visiting at this hour? _she thought to herself, glancing over at the clock on the wall and noting that it was half past twelve in the morning. _Vicious?_

Brushing a strand of her blonde hair out of her eyes, Julia unlocked the chain lock and pulled open the front door. Her eyes widened as she saw who was standing in the rain.

"Spike!" she cried, surprised. "What are you doing here? You're soaked!"

Spike shrugged, for once his face lacking a smile. Biting her lip, Julia hastily moved aside and let him in, shutting out the storm behind him. Sighing, she turned away from the door, her gaze fixed on the ground.

There was a long pause before Spike finally broke the silence in the dark room.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" he asked, his voice serious and confused. "About you and Vicious, I mean."

Julia hesitated, then sighed.

"You found out?" she asked, Spike narrowing his eyes. "I guess you would have. But you should have learned by now that all women are liars. You can't trust them, you know."

Spike raised an eyebrow.

"I guess I should have figured that one out as well, then," he replied darkly.

Julia closed her eyes.

"Why did you come to see me, then?" she asked.

Spike shrugged again.

"I don't know," he replied shoving his hands into the pockets of his wet, brown jacket. "Maybe because even though it all made sense...it didn't seem real."

Julia felt a wave of sadness coming over her. The conflicting ideas in her head were waging a war, and one side was starting to win.

"Maybe it's just part of the dream," she murmured, opening her eyes and staring down at the floor, still standing in front of the door.

Spike studied Julia curiously, his eyes narrowed.

"When I'm with you...I feel things that I don't feel when I'm around anyone else," The blonde-haired woman continued. "You're so different, Spike; different than anyone else in this whole syndicate. There's just something about you that no one else has. But I..."

Julia trailed off. There were things that she wanted to say, but part of her held them back.

"Why do you love me?" she asked suddenly, glancing over at him.

There was a flash of lightning through the window, and Spike smiled slightly. Her answer seemed sincere...even if it didn't tell him much at all. Whether she were lying or not, he really didn't know. But something about her words made him love her even more.

_Does it even matter?_

_What's really right and wrong?_

"Maybe because you're different too," he replied, taking a step toward her. "And...well, they say truth can be hard to live with sometimes," Spike added, Julia returning the smile as she reached out and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

And as the two stood in the dark hallway, locked in their embrace, the rain outside faded into a gentle shower, and then stopped altogether.

* * *

"They've had a record of one-sided deals," Shin murmured, scrolling down a website on a laptop, sitting in the lobby of the Red Dragons' headquarters the next afternoon. "You'd better be careful with them," he advised, the brown-haired young man looking up at Spike, who was leaning against the wall, eyeing the elevators anxiously. 

"No crime syndicate plays fair," he replied, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "That's how it always is..."

Spike trailed off, eyeing the elevator again. He and Vicious were supposed to make the big trade-off today in front of a large company building downtown. However, Spike was more interested in getting some answers from Vicious. So long as the two of them were alone, maybe Spike could finally figure out what he'd been missing for so long.

What puzzled him, though, was that Vicious had never mentioned Julia to him for all those years Spike had worked at the syndicate before. Never once had he bothered to introduce the two, or even ever mention that he was involved with someone.

_I'd never have met her if it hadn't been for that stupid accident..._

Shin sighed, scratching his neck anxiously as he leaned back in the chair he was seated in, eyeing the laptop screen.

"I don't know...I just feel like this is kind of risky, even for people like you and Vicious," he admitted, feeling a bit out of place.

Spike shrugged, putting out his cigarette and tossing it into a trash bin on the wall.

"Maybe," he replied, his heart definitely not into drug-dealing that afternoon. But..."

Spike trailed off as the elevator doors slid open and the black-clad Vicious stepped out, holding a steel briefcase in his hand, his eyes narrowed. Shin waved half-heartedly, looking a bit nervous.

"We've got all of the latest information..." The brown-haired young man murmured, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek as Vicious spotted them and walked over to join the two.

Spike bit his lip, unsure of how he should act toward the man with whom he had been partners with for years now. Vicious, however, did not seem to act any differently than usual, and eyed Shin icily.

"So I think you...you two should be good to go," The teenager concluded, biting his lip.

Vicious scared him slightly, Shin had admitted to himself. There was something about the man that reminded him of someone who was too deep to read, and quite untrustworthy. Even though the white-haired man had never violated syndicate codes, Shin felt more at ease when he was working with Spike.

"Fine then," Vicious replied in his low voice, eyeing the screen of the computer once before turning toward the double-glass doors that lead out of the building. "We'll be back shortly."

Spike nodded, Shin biting his lip as he watched the two men walk toward the doors, losing sight of them as a crowd of other associates walked by. The brown-haired teenager sighed, his shoulders sagging as his eyes wandered back to his computer screen.

_Is it wrong for me worry? They're both older and far my experienced than I, but still...I can't help but sense a trap._

The young man shook his head firmly, closing up his laptop and starting up the scarlet stairs, his mind filled with doubts.

* * *

Spike eyed Vicious as the two walked down the street, side by side. The greenish-haired man couldn't tell if his partner were avoiding speaking to him, or merely acting as he always did. Determined to find out _something, _Spike sighed, putting his hands into his pockets. 

"So," he began, feeling a bit uneasy for a change. "Why did you never tell me?"

Vicious eyed him coldly.

"Tell you what?" he asked calmly.

Spike sighed, his eyes following the sidewalk as they walked toward their destination as inconspicuously as possible.

"You know," The man replied, narrowing his eyes. "About Julia. Why'd you never mention her to me in all these years that I've known you, and why did you never tell me that you and she were..."

Vicious didn't seem flustered at all, however, as he gave his reply.

"I warned you, Spike," he said calmly, an icy lining in his voice. "I warned you that you'd only be hurt by her, and I warned you not to believe everything you were told."

Spike raised an eyebrow, somehow finding this response to be completely different from what he had been expecting. Something in Vicious' voice was cruel and harsh, even though the words were not.

"You could have been a little more clear," Spike retorted darkly, glaring over at him.

"And maybe you need to pay more attention to what's _really _going on around you, and not your little fantasies," The white-haired man replied. "When you joined this syndicate, you were a novice; a nobody. You are who you are today because I helped you get there. You are nothing without me."

Spike clenched a fist as a bus rumbled by, rustling his hair.

"What?" he demanded quietly.

Vicious grinned in a strange way, looking straight ahead.

"But if you follow me, you'll always be on top," he concluded, Spike glaring at him. "So you see, I'm the only one who can kill you, and I'm the only one who can keep you alive."

Spike eyed Vicious skeptically, feeling a sudden surge of anger run through him as they approached the gates of the company building where they would be meeting for the trade off.

"Maybe," Spike replied coolly, walking ahead of Vicious and over to a bench that was beside the gates. "And maybe not."

Vicious eyed the greenish-haired man, a strange grin still on his face.

_I'm absolutely right, Spike. You'll soon see, one way or another..._

* * *

Spike eyed his watch, feeling frustrated. He and Vicious had been waiting for over half and hour, and there had been no sign of the men who were assigned to be meeting them. 

"Damn, where are they?" Spike grumbled, not making eye contact with Vicious, who was leaning up against the railing of the gates, casually.

Suddenly, a cell phone ring filled the air, and Spike fumbled around in his jacket for his black phone. Narrowing his eyes, he answered it and held it up to his ear.

"Yeah?" he asked suspiciously, wondering who'd be calling at this hour, since everyone at the syndicate was aware that he and Vicious were out that afternoon.

"Vicious?" Came a raspy voice through the receiver. "Or is it your partner?"

Spike frowned.

"Who is this?" he demanded, a chuckle coming from the other end of the line.

"Just members of a fellow syndicate," The voice replied in a taunting way. "And I believe we have some business to attend to with your syndicate, the Red Dragons."

Spike growled, clenching a fist.

"Yeah, so where the hell are you?" he demanded, Vicious glancing over at Spike out of the corner of his eye. "We're right where you told us to be, and I don't see you anywhere."

There was another chuckle and a clanking of metal as the gates behind Vicious gave a jerk and then slowly opened with a loud squeal.

"Oh, we're here all right," The voice continued, Spike turning to face the gates, surprised. "Right behind you."

Spike glanced up at the building, then returned his attention to the phone call. Vicious was eyeing the building in mild interest.

"That's the Data Corporation," Spike retorted into the phone.

There was another chuckle, this one more sinister and wicked.

"We know. When we set out today to fulfill our part of our little _agreement _with your syndicate, we decided, why not kill two birds with one stone?"

* * *

Review please, and next chapter up soon! 


	8. Of Trust and Betrayal

**Of Trust and Betrayal**

Spike growled as he heard a click on the other end, indicating that whoever had just called him had hung up. Sighing, he stood up, his eyes narrowed.

"They're in the building somewhere," he explained curtly to Vicious, walking past the white-haired man and up the long pathway that lead to the giant corporation. "Apparently they've taken it over or something."

Vicious raised an eyebrow as he watched Spike walk toward the building.

"They have, have they?" he repeated airily, following after his partner, clutching at his sword that hung at his side. "Then I suppose the transaction will be a little messier than expected."

Spike halted and turned to face Vicious, his eyes serious.

"I don't want to get involved with anyone in this corporate building," he explained pointedly. "If they're taking it over, then it's their deal, not mine. We're just here for the transaction."

Vicious chuckled darkly.

"Things aren't smooth and easy like that, Spike," he reminded the man, walking past him and breaking down the double doors that lead into the building. "You should have realized that by now."

Spike stood there for a moment, the words sounding familiar to him. Had he really been so blind all this time that the nature of his whole world and everyone in it had never really sunk in?

_Right and wrong…_

Spike gritted his teeth, running after Vicious, gritting his teeth as he saw bodies of secretaries and employees massacred on the ground in the lobby. Vicious was ahead of him, slicing his way past some survivors of the rival syndicate attack and up the staircase.

… _truth and lies;…_

Spike followed after his colleague, feeling his conscience weigh down inside of him. All the times before that he and Vicious had infiltrated companies and attacked innocents, he'd never minded; it hadn't seem wrong.

_Everything seemed to blur all at once._

But now, maybe just because of the realization that his partner hadn't been open with him. Or perhaps it was the fact that the syndicate was beginning to irritate him. Or maybe it was all of the events of the past few months rolled into one, but all the same, Spike couldn't bring himself to kill any of the people that were hovering in their offices, or in the way in the hallway. Only when he was attacked did he fight back that day.

_It's all a dream._

_Or is it a nightmare?_

_I can't tell anymore._

_

* * *

_

Spike clenched his fist as he walked back through the double glass doors that led into the lobby of the Red Dragon's syndicate headquarters late that afternoon. His eyes were narrowed and serious as he walked up the staircase, ignoring the people who were staring at him.

He'd gone on ahead of Vicious after they'd made the trade-off. Vicious didn't seem to care, and Spike was tired; tired of it all. As Spike made his way down the hallway, an office door opened and a man stepped out. He looked over at Spike and raised an eyebrow.

"How did the trade go?" Mao asked curiously, Spike pausing, his back to the man.

"Fine," he replied shortly.

Mao looked around, expecting to see Vicious nearby.

"Where's Vicious?" he asked. "Weren't you two on the assignment together?"

Spike closed his eyes, trying to stay calm.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "We split up after we left the corporation building."

Mao's eyes widened, sighing.

"Spike, you should know the code by now!" he exclaimed in exasperation. "On assignments, especially ones as risky and open as these, you never leave your assignment partner alone! Rival syndicate members could…"

"I don't care anymore!"

Mao blinked, eyeing Spike in surprise. Spike was glaring at him, his fists clenched at his side.

"I'm tired of living in a cage, like some sort of animal!" The man shouted back, all the anger and animosity he'd felt toward the syndicate and everyone in it surging upward. "I'm sick of being treated like a pawn; a slave in someone else's design!"

"But you…" Mao started, Spike cutting him off.

"And I'm tired of people telling me how to live my life," Spike concluded, stomping off in the opposite direction, his eyes narrowed in frustration.

Mao didn't reply, as Spike had expected him to, but at the moment he was too angry to care. Instead, the oriental man just stood in the hallway, dumbfounded, watching as Spike walked off.

_I want to be free._

* * *

It grew dark early that evening as Julia sighed, sitting in a chair by the window, watching the cars and people go about there way down on the streets below. No matter how she tried to reason with herself, though, she could never find an answer to the nagging problem in her mind.

It was impossible to love two people at once. Was it even love that bound her to them? She wasn't sure anymore.

_Is it really my feelings…or my conscience that is undecided?_

As the blonde-haired woman bit her lip, pondering all that had happened in the past few weeks, there was a rustle from the corner, and she looked up suddenly.

"You left your door unlocked," Came a familiar voice from the shadows, Julia sighing in relief as she recognized the figure.

"I guess I did…" she murmured, eyeing the man cautiously.

Julia narrowed her eyes as Spike stepped out of the shadows, his trench coat over his shoulder as he walked into the dim stream of light that was flowing in from the open window.

"Spike…" she whispered, feeling a bit worried.

"I'm leaving the syndicate," The green-haired man declared, his eyes narrowed in determination.

Julia narrowed her eyes further, clenching a fist at her side.

"They'll kill you," she replied firmly, glaring over at him. "You know that."

Spike smiled, a confident gleam in his eyes.

"Let them say I'm dead," he replied simply, Julia staring at him, worried.

His grin was that of a man who wasn't afraid, and in his eyes was only determination. Spike stepped forward, holding out a folded piece of white paper, the blonde-haired woman eyeing it.

"I want you to come with me," he explained, Julia not reaching out for the slip of paper.

"You know I can't come with you," she replied, somewhat darkly.

"Yes, you can," Spike urged, Julia looking up into his determined eyes once more.

Julia sighed, looking away from him and facing the window, rain falling outside in sheets, pattering against the window. It was almost like déjà vu as memories of Vicious and their parting during the Titan War flooded back to her.

_"I'll be back with you soon…"_

"And go where?" Julia sighed in exasperation, the neon lights from across the street reflecting in her eyes. "And do what?"

"Be free," Spike replied after a moment of silence, still smiling in his strange way. "It'll be like watching a dream," he added, Julia's gaze dropping to the floor as she sighed.

_"I suppose we're living in the same dream, in that case…"_

Julia didn't reply, and the rain continued to beat down outside. Spike's smile faded slightly as he grew more serious. Julia turned and put her hand on the slip of paper to take it.

"I'll be waiting in the graveyard," Spike explained, thunder crackling outside. "Not _in_ a grave, but standing next to one."

Julia's hand trembled as she took hold of the note and slipped it into her pocket.

"Spike…" she murmured, her eyes worried.

_Why the risk? Why not just stay here…and live?_

Spike turned around and slipped his trench coat back on.

"See you later," he called back to her, Julia staring at the ground as he walked out of the dark room and closed the door behind him.

Torn, she unfolded the piece of paper Spike had handed her and stared down at the words that were written there.

"_Come with me."_

The rest of the note detailed the instructions he had just given her: the location, the time, everything. It sounded so simple…but somehow Julia knew that it could never end so simply.

Sighing, she placed the note down on the table, biting her lip. Time was running out, she realized.

* * *

Shin sighed, biting his lip as he walked up the scarlet stairs to the next floor, people shuffling past him idly. It was growing dark outside and the teenager was about to find his brother so that they could go home for the night. But before he was going to find Lin, something was still bothering him that he needed to figure out.

_Where is he?_ The boy thought to himself, feeling silly for worrying again. _I haven't seen Spike or Vicious ever since they left this afternoon, and now it's nearly nine. Did something go wrong…?_

Shin shoved his brown bangs out of his eyes as he turned the corner up at the top of the staircase, feeling a shiver run down his spine as he nearly ran into someone turning to come down.

"Watch where you're going," Came an icy voice as the man stepped out of the way, moving to go around the boy. "Is it a habit to run into me like this?"

Gasping, Shin glanced up and saw that it had been Vicious he'd nearly bumped into, the white-haired man still wearing his black coat, his sword gleaming in the light from the chandelier above.

"I…I'm sorry, sir," Shin stammered in reply, feeling queasy inside as he watched Vicious start down the emptying staircase.

The teenager vaguely wondered what he meant by "habit of running into him," but decided not to worry about it. Shin didn't see Spike around anywhere nearby, and that worried him.

"Hey, did…did your assignment go all right?" Shin called after him.

Vicious didn't reply, and the white-haired man continued down the stairs. Gritting his teeth, Shin hurried after him, nearly sprinting to keep up pace with the man.

"Vicious?" Shin asked, having addressed the man by his first name for the first time since they'd met. "Was there any trouble with the assignment?"

Vicious huffed, reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Why would there have been?" he replied calmly, Shin biting his lip as he trailed after the man.

"Where's Spike then?" The teenager demanded timidly, narrowing his eyes at Vicious's back.

Vicious halted for a moment, his blue eyes gleaming in the light from the chandelier.

"I don't know," he replied, continuing toward the double-doors that led out of the building. "If you ever want to become anything in this syndicate, boy, I'd stop taking advice from him."

Shin glared after Vicious as he walked away, standing at the bottom of the stairs. Something was definitely wrong here; he could feel it.

_But what is it? I don't know who I should believe._

* * *

It was late that night when Julia realized she'd been up in her room for ages, sitting beside the desk and staring down at the letter. As many times as she read it, she couldn't make herself believe that Spike's plan would ever work. No one had ever left the syndicate and stayed alive to enjoy their freedom.

Julia sighed, her eyes sad as she folded her hands in her lap, sitting quietly in the darkened room. She hadn't bothered to turn the lights on, even though she could barely see the letters written on the sheet of paper in front of her.

_Although, _Julia admitted to herself. _I've memorized every word._

There was a creak as the door across the room opened, and Julia jerked up to see a dark figure standing in the frame of the door. She gasped, startled.

"Vicious!" she whispered, narrowing her eyes as the white-haired man walked into the room, a strange smile of satisfaction on his face. "How did you get in?" Julia added, narrowing her eyes, recalling having gone down and locked the door that evening after Spike had left.

Vicious chuckled, walking around the chair where Julia was sitting.

"You know I have a key, Julia," he mused, Julia clenching a fist in her lap as Vicious looked down at her. "Of course, we haven't chatted in a while."

Vicious's eyes wandered over to the note on the table, and he scanned it from where he was standing. Chuckling again, he looked out the window to see that a light rain had begun to fall.

"No, we haven't," Julia replied coldly.

Vicious smirked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a shiny, black gun. Carefully, he lowered it down and pressed it gently against the back of the blonde-haired woman's head.

"Did you _really _think you could just leave, Julia?" he murmured, Julia's eyes lowered as she felt the weapon press against her head. "Were you going to betray me just like that, after all these years?"

Julia narrowed her eyes.

"I never wanted to be part of your plan," she replied, slightly defiantly. "Back then you…"

"But you did," Vicious interrupted, his voice smooth and quiet. "Back then you wanted to be with me forever, and when I told you of my plans for the syndicate, you didn't protest. Now these plans are ready to be put into action, however, they can't if two people who know the truth manage to slip away mysteriously."

Julia felt her neck growing stiff.

"I didn't tell him," she replied sincerely.

Vicious smirked.

"Spike is enough of a nuisance on his own," he replied calmly.

There was a long pause as silence fell on the room. The only sound was that of raindrops falling on the roof, softly pitter-pattering overhead.

Julia felt her shoulders sag.

"Are you going to kill him?" she asked after a while, her eyes wandering back over to the note on the desk.

Vicious smirked, taking the gun away from the back of Julia's head and placing it on the desk, next to the letter.

"No," he replied calmly. "You're going to do it for me."

Julia's eyes widened as she looked over at the gun.

"Those are your two options," Vicious continued, starting toward the door once again. "Either you kill him, or you both die."

Julia bit her lip, closing her eyes as Vicious left the room, closing the door behind him with a snap. There was a low rumble of thunder in the distance as Julia opened her eyes once more to see the letter from Spike, and the gun from Vicious, lying side by side on the desk in front of her.

* * *

Review, and next chapter up as soon as possible! 


	9. Of Life and Death

**Of Life and Death**

**Notes: **In reply to a reviewer, yes, I'm just basing this story off of the flashbacks shown in the series. Glad you're all enjoying it so far!

* * *

Shin wandered through the halls of the syndicate, his mind filled with jumbled thoughts. What had Vicious meant? And where was Spike, anyway? It wasn't like him to just wander off. 

_Actually, _Shin thought to himself with a sigh. _It is. Maybe that's why Vicious doesn't want me to take advice from Spike…?_

"Where have you been all day?"

Shin was jerked out of his train of thought, and he looked up to see his brother leaning against the wall near the laboratory door, an eyebrow raised. Shin sighed, calming down.

"Helping plan out the trade-off, and…" he started, but trailed off realizing he'd done nothing the whole rest of the day except daydream and worry.

Lin huffed skeptically, folding his arms across his chest.

"I see," he replied coldly, glaring over at his brother. "You know, if you keep this up you're going to damage more than just your reputation."

Shin glared back.

"What do mean?" he asked, biting his lip.

All his life Shin had been the more passive of the two brothers. Lin had always been the one to jump into things, and then make sure that he was following all the rules according to the ones in charge. Shin had always followed in his shadow, never really giving an opinion. Lin was the one who made the decisions.

_In fact…it was his idea to join in the first place._

Lin scowled.

"Don't pretend you don't know," he retorted coldly. "We're identical, so inevitably we will always be mistaken for each other. So when one of us makes a mistake, the other will be punished for it as well. That's how it's always been."

Shin's gaze wandered to the ground. He didn't like this one bit. In fact, he was starting to not like the syndicate much either. Lin had been conforming to all their rules for so long he'd changed dramatically.

"I know, Lin," he replied quietly. "I'm not trying to mess this up for you."

Lin sighed.

"So what are you doing now?" he asked the more quiet of the two brothers.

Shin bit his lip uneasily.

"I was trying to find Spike," he replied. "I hadn't seen him since he and Vicious left earlier, and I was getting a little worried."

Lin shrugged, walking off toward the stairs.

"He's probably just off doing something else that's against the code," he suggested darkly. "Come on, Shin. Let's go home."

Shin sighed wearily. Why was everyone so against Spike?

_What was it that he did that was so wrong?_

* * *

It hadn't taken Spike long to gather up the few things that he needed and drop them off in his ship. Spike smiled fondly at the Swordfish, patting the faded red side of the metal spacecraft. 

_After tonight, it'll all be over._

The young man smiled, looking up at the large clock positioned on the side of a building in the distance. It was too early, but he decided he might as well go down to the graveyard anyway.

Rain was pouring down overhead, but Spike didn't seem to notice as he walked down the streets, past people walking home from work, their umbrellas open and raised. Spike sighed, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders now.

He would never have to return to the syndicate. Never again would he have to worry about what other people wanted him to do. He would be free; and Julia would be with him.

Spike's mind wandered back to the strange conversation with Vicious that afternoon. He hadn't really given Spike any information on the matter concerning Julia, but did even that really matter now?

_Vicious._

Spike narrowed his eyes, vaguely thinking back to all the years they'd spent as partners, working together.

_Back then, I thought we were best friends; partners. Was all that really just a lie?_

Spike decided to shrug it off. As the rain continued to fall in sheets, soaking him, his eyes wandered back to the large syndicate corporation building behind him. _After tonight, I'll probably never see any of them again, _Spike thought to himself, remembering all the people he'd met in his years at the syndicate.

Stretching, Spike eyed the graveyard, which was to his left as he paused on the sidewalk. The dirt ground was muddy in between the rows of graves, neatly cut headstones marking each one.

"Hey, mister!"

Spike raised an eyebrow, turning to see a young boy standing behind a table of flowerpots and bundles of roses. The little boy had a smile on his face as he motioned for Spike to come over.

Spike sighed, walking over to the stand, eyeing the boy.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Well, I saw you looking at the graveyard, and I thought maybe you'd come to pay a visit to someone, ...you know?" The boy asked awkwardly.

Spike shook his head, glancing off in the distance.

"No, I didn't," he replied calmly, squeezing some of the rainwater out of his coat. "I'm waiting for someone."

The boy brightened up again.

"Oh, in that case, maybe you want to buy some roses for her…or something?" he continued, motioning down toward his flowers. "They're really nice, and fresh!"

Spike sighed, knowing that the boy wasn't going to let him go.

_But, _he thought to himself, eyeing the red flowers. _They are pretty._

* * *

Julia clenched a fist, listening to the rain pour down outside. Vicious had read the letter over her shoulder, she knew. He knew exactly where Spike was going to be that night. 

Julia looked over at the clock on the desk, realizing it was nearly the time written on the letter: the time when she was supposed to meet Spike.

_When I'm supposed to run away._

Julia sighed, feeling completely torn. If she went to meet Spike, she would either have to kill him, or else the two of them would both be killed. If she didn't go to meet him, he might be killed anyway, since Vicious knew where he was going to be. And Vicious had the key to her house, so he could easily come back anytime now.

_There's no way out._

_Of course_, Julia realized, reaching out and gently picking up the letter off the desk. _There's one other option._

Slowly, she walked over to the window, where the storm was pouring down outside. Julia undid the lock and pulled the window open, a spray of rainwater blowing into the room.

Her eyes sad, she folded up the piece of paper that Spike had given her earlier that evening. Then, she tore the note in half, and then successively into smaller pieces, letting them fall down to the ground several floors below with the rain.

The blonde-haired woman watched the bits of torn paper fall, the ink now running in the rain, making the words that had been so carefully written there indistinguishable. Then, she turned away from the window and the storm, and walked back over to the desk.

Julia picked up the black gun that Vicious had left her and stared at it. Then, she emptied the bullets out of it and threw the empty gun into the trashcan down in the kitchen. Then, she hurried back upstairs, opening the door to her bedroom and glancing around.

_I won't follow Spike, and I won't follow Vicious, either, _Julia thought to herself, her eyes narrowed as she found her coat and umbrella.

_"Come with me."_

Julia bit her lip as the words from the letter rang clear in her mind again. She sighed as she picked up some other things that she might need that were in her room. Even though she knew this would crush Spike, it was the only way she could think of.

_Life is just a dream, huh? Maybe we're just living in a fantasy, then. Reality is cruel._

As the rain continued to pour down outside, Julia turned off the lights in her room, engulfing the house in darkness. Then, she opened the front door and stepped out into the storm.

She opened her umbrella and then closed the door behind her, not bothering to lock it.

_Who would I be locking out? Vicious already has a key._

* * *

It continued to rain long into the next couple of hours, heavy sheets of it pouring down on the Martian city. The flower vender had long since gone home, and Spike was left alone, leaning against the brick wall of a building, waiting. 

The greenish-haired man sighed, his eyes dark as he lit another cigarette, although the ground around him was already littered with them. It had nearly been three hours since the time he'd written on the letter: three hours past when he was supposed to have left.

The rain had soaked his brown coat through and the bouquet of red roses he'd bought was soaked as well. Rainwater dripped down the slick wrappings like spider webs, and yet Spike hadn't moved from that spot, despite the foul weather. Nothing was really running through his mind. The weather, the rain, everything else around him didn't seem to matter.

_Why?_

Several minutes later, Spike dropped the half-burnt cigarette to the ground, and turned away from the graveyard. Cold realization had washed over him, and at last he knew that she was truly not coming.

His eyes darkened and sad, the man walked slowly toward the cobbled path that lead out of the graveyard. There was a rumble of thunder from above, and the rain showed no signs of letting up anytime soon.

It was as if a part of him had grown numb inside. Not broken or shattered, but numb. And numbly, he walked along the path, his grip on the slick flower wrappings loosening.

A single rose fell from the bouquet, falling into a puddle on the round with a small splash. Spike didn't notice, however. The man continued walking away, the rain pouring down onto the crimson rose.

All the rain, however, didn't taint the beauty of it.

Spike narrowed his eyes as he walked through a small archway and into the large, stone room where funerals were usually said when weather didn't permit them to be said outside. Spike's mind was filled with questions that he knew would never be answered now.

_But did that matter? Maybe it did, and maybe it didn't._

As he walked through the stone room, he heard a loud gunshot ring out somewhere beside him, and he paused, squinting through the rain. In the back of the room, Spike saw several men, clad in black suits and sunglasses, crouched behind two of the stone tables.

Gritting his teeth, Spike pulled out his own gun and fired a few shots before dodging several of theirs.

_Who let them know?_

As shots continued to be fired back and forth, Spike felt more questions arise. The men attacking him were most definitely from the syndicate…but how had they known that would be attempting to leave that evening? And where?

_It could_, Spike realized, _have been anyone._

Spike winced as one of the bullets hit his shoulder, blood streaming down his arm from the wound. He was extremely outnumbered, and with surely no backup coming, it was unlikely he'd get away from this alive.

_But…_

Spike continued to fight back at a distance, still holding the end of the wet bouquet.

_Does it matter anymore?_

_"So you see, Spike. I'm the only one who can keep you alive, and I'm the only one who can kill you… …you're nothing without me."_

One of the men attacking cried out in pain as one of Spike's bullets hithim head on, and he slumped over behind the tables, his comrades continuing their steady stream of fire.

_Well, Vicious…_

Spike felt himself growing weaker as more and more of the attackers' bullets seemed to be colliding. Several had grazed his arms and legs, and he felt one burn against his cheek.

_Go ahead and try._

Spike felt blood trickle down his cheek, but instead of feeling desolated, he smiled, reaching into his pocket.

_Even if I die, it'll be better than being under your control._

Spike flipped up the switch on a round object he'd pulled out of his pocket, another bullet piercing his skin.

_If I die…_

He flung the object toward the men, who were still rapidly firing all around him. A bright yellow light suddenly flared up as the object Spike had thrown exploded, the sound of muffled screams and the shattering of the tables and walls filled the room.

_…at least…_

Spike could feel the warmth from the fires in front of him as he staggered backward, away from the explosion, the roses slipping out of his hands.

…_at least then, I'll be free._

As he stepped back into the rain, Spike watched the building in front of him fill with flames. The fearless smile of confidence faded from his face as his vision swam. Then, everything went black as Spike collapsed, the rain still pouring down all around him.

_Free._

* * *

Review, please, and next chapter up as soon as I can write it! 


	10. Of a Life of Dreams

**Of a Life of Dreams**

_It…can't be._

"I don't believe it!" Shin shouted in a mix of anger and sadness, his fists clenched at his side. "Spike can't be dead!"

It was the next morning, and the air all throughout the Red Dragons' Headquarters was heavy with loss. Shin was standing up, the rest of the briefing audience that had gathered in the meeting room staring at him as he glared at Mao Yenrai, who was speaking from the front of the room.

Mao sighed uneasily, tapping his fingers anxiously on the table in front of him. The oriental man didn't want to believe it either, however the report given to him earlier that morning seemed to suggest nothing else.

"I…I don't want believe it," Mao admitted, the rest of the gathered members looking skeptically around, murmuring amongst themselves. "This morning section 32 announced that they'd received evidence that Spike Speigal was attempting to leave the syndicate."

_And…I wouldn't put it past him, _Mao reminded himself, remembering the last conversation he'd had with Spike. _He seemed…changed. I don't know what came over him._

"Apparently the section went after him," The man continued, glancing down at the report on the polished table in front of him. "There was an explosion during the battle, and his body was not recovered."

Shin gritted his teeth, clenching a fist at his side as he sank back down into his seat.

_If his body wasn't recovered, then he's not dead, _the boy thought to himself fiercely, his eyes narrowed. _I know it. Spike wouldn't die like that. He **couldn't **die like that._

But as much as Shin wanted to believe that, some part of him doubted. The brown-haired boy eyed Vicious, who was leaning against the crimson wall on the other side of the room, his eyes narrowed coldly and unfeelingly.

And to Shin's surprise, he noted that his brother was standing nearby, looking just as cold as Vicious.

* * *

The night air was cool and misty, a faint fog lying low over the whole of the city. The sun was setting behind the tall skyscrapers that obscured the distant sky from view. The people of the city wandered the streets toward their various destinations as the evening settled. 

A middle-aged man sighed, resting his elbow on the counter of the small bar that he'd stopped by. It was fairly empty, save for a couple talking in the back booth by the window, and a few old men playing cards at a small round table.

"Hey, you're cheating, damn it!" One of the old men shouted at his two playing mates, the man raising an eyebrow and glancing over at the trio.

"How come you're the one with seven cards in your hand, then?" The tallest of the three replied with a sigh.

The man sitting by the counter heaved a sigh and swirled his drink around in his glass, watching the melting ice clink against the sides. The television set that was placed on one of the shelves in front of him was set to a news station, two reporters telling the story of a fire downtown earlier that day.

"Same," he muttered to himself, taking a sip as the door to the bar opened with a jingle behind him.

Jet Black didn't bother looking up to see who had wandered into the bar that evening. _After all, anyone who was bothering to stop by a place like this must be out of a job and just looking for some place to waste time, _he thought to himself.

There was a squeak as a figure in a dark coat slumped down on the circular chair beside him. Jet glanced over his glass, seeing that the person that had sat down beside him looked like a young man in his mid-twenties. He was wearing a dark brown coat, dark red stains spotting it in several places, and the young man himself looking weary.

"What'll it be?" The bartender asked, rubbing a small glass dry with a dishrag as he leaned against the counter.

The young man shrugged with a sigh.

"It doesn't matter; anything," he replied in a tired-sounding voice, Jet watching him out of the corner of his eye, his curiosity getting the better of him.

The bartender gave the young man a strange look, but then turned and pulled a bottle of orange-colored liquid off the counter and poured some in a glass. The young man sighed, leaning forward and resting his head on the counter as the bartender set the glass down in front of him.

Jet raised an eyebrow, noticing that the strange younger man seemed to have fallen asleep. Narrowing his eyes, he reached out and tapped the young man on the shoulder.

"Hey!" he muttered gruffly, the younger man opening one eye. "Didn't you want your drink?"

Spike sighed, lifting himself back up and rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered tiredly, taking the glass the bartender had given him and taking a sip.

Jet tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"If you wanted to sleep, why didn't you just go home?" he asked, continuing the conversation out of mild curiosity.

Spike sighed, setting his glass down on the table with a clink and putting a hand to his head.

"Well, you kind of need a home to do that," he replied, feeling his eyelids droop again.

The middle-aged man nodded, running his hand over his black hair.

"Oh," Jet replied, wondering why he was surprised. _Everyone here is just a loner out of a job, _he reminded himself. _Myself included._

"Did your woman throw you out?" The man inquired, Spike letting out a hollow laugh.

"No," he replied calmly, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, staring down into his drink. "Nothing like that."

Jet took another sip of his drink.

"Oh, I see," he muttered in reply, trying to figure out this strange character. "You lose your job?"

Spike gave a half-shrug.

"Sort of," he replied, draining the small glass of the remainder of the orange drink. "You could say I quit."

The middle-aged man swirled the ice cubes around in his glass again.

"Oh? I guess you could say I retired," he replied, the greenish-haired man looking rather bored as he stared over at the small television set.

The news program had ended and now a man and a woman dressed as cowboys had come onscreen, announcing a 3,000-woolong bounty on a renegade criminal on Mars. The black-haired man smiled sadly, chuckling.

"A three-thousand paycheck would be pretty nice, wouldn't it?" he sighed, finishing up his drink, Spike cracking a tired smirk and nodding.

"Yeah…sure would," he replied, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

Jet glanced over at the television screen again, eyeing the picture that had been posted of the criminal, displaying his stats and last seen location. A few moments passed, and then the man eyed Spike again, thoughtfully.

"You know, it wouldn't be all that hard," he continued, Spike glancing back at him. "Tracking a person down and turning them in? And then you'd be paid for it."

Spike chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

"What, like a bounty hunter?" he asked, Jet nodding enthusiastically.

"Yeah, why not?" he replied, wondering vaguely in the back of his mind why he was to eager to team up with this man. "You've got nowhere to go, and I don't have a job either. I've got a pretty decent ship and who knows? We may get lucky."

Spike eyed the man curiously. It had only been a few weeks since the incident back at the syndicate. It had only a few weeks since he'd severed ties with everyone he had formerly known; severed ties with his previous life. He was a new man, ready to start fresh somewhere.

_Maybe this is that somewhere? Ah, who knows? It's worth a shot._

"Sure, why not?" Spike replied with a shrug, grinning slightly, not feeling nervous at all for having just agreed to partner up with a total stranger.

_What's to be afraid of now?_

* * *

It was late that evening when Jet led Spike back to a large ship that was docked in the harbor. Spike scratched his head, gazing up at the brownish ship with the words "Bebop" written in red across the side. The ship looked more like a fishing boat than a spacecraft to him. 

"So…this is it?" he asked, Jet nodding and patting the side of the ship fondly as he opened the hatch.

"Yep," Jet replied, smiling. "I got it on a good deal a while back, and it's been pretty reliable. It's got a hanger in back so you can lug your ship around too," he added, eyeing Spike's faded red ship that he had parked on the dock.

Spike yawned.

"Great," he replied, following Jet into the ship, ducking his head to avoid colliding with the frame.

Jet eyed Spike as he led him through the hallway and into the main room of the ship.

"Mind if I ask a name?" he asked casually, Spike looking around the room.

"Sure," Spike replied calmly, looking up at the squeaky ceiling-fan. "Spike. Spike Speigal. And you are?"

Jet nodded, turning on some lights.

"Jet Black," he replied, turning around to see Spike's reaction to the ship's interior. "So…what do you think?"

Spike smirked, shrugging as he stretched, wincing slightly and recoiling a moment later.

"It's better than nothing," he replied optimistically, Jet eyeing the crimson stains on Spike's jacket again.

"Were you hunted down by loan sharks or something?" he asked again, Spike laughing.

"Why are you so interested?" he replied, leaning back on the couch behind him, his eyes darkening. "You could say…I died, and came back to life as a new person."

Jet raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side as Spike closed his eyes calmly.

"Interesting way to put it, I suppose," he murmured in reply, narrowing his eyes. "Well, get some sleep, Spike. We can start the search for the bounty head in the morning."

Jet eyed the strange young man once more before turning off the main lights and walking into the darkened hallway. He had a feeling being a bounty hunter was going to be a lot tougher, and a lot crazier, than he had originally thought.

_Especially with a guy like that around, _Jet thought to himself.

And Jet had been right.

* * *

Memories flooded through Spike's mind, some faded and old and some as vivid and clear as if he were living them all over again. Memories of his meeting with Ein, and Faye, and then the Radical Edward on Earth. Memories of the time spent on the Bebop as a bounty hunter. 

_Was that just a calm before the storm? Or just a desperate attempt to escape my fate?_

As memories of his meeting with Vicious after three long years resurfaced in his mind, vague questions arose once more. Questions that would never be answered now, he was sure. The questions that had stayed with him for years and years were nagging in the back of his mind once more.

Vicious and he had fought in the cathedral that day, and it had seemed as though the past had been buried once more.

_But…burying something doesn't mean it can't come back again._

Merely a few months later, Spike recalled, did he and Vicious cross paths once again, this time on the icy planet Callisto while Spike had been trailing a false lead to Julia. No sooner had Spike found a clue in a peculiar man named Gren, was his one lead killed.

And then not long after, Spike had finally had found the one person he had been searching for all those years, plagued by that one, nagging question that had never ceased in his mind:

_Why?_

Why had she left him standing in the rain that night, the rain of despair pouring down over him? His love for her had never died after all these years, and he knew that he would never be free of his fixation on her; not until Spike had found the answer.

But the answer…

_"It was raining that day too."_

_"And so you didn't come because of the rain?" he replied, smiling grimly as he looked through the rain and over at her._

_Julia narrowed her eyes, lowering her gun, the rain pouring down over her golden blonde hair._

_"I was supposed to kill you," she replied coldly. "At least…that was the plan."_

_"But you didn't," Spike finished, his eyes narrowed in a realization at long last. "You chose to be hunted instead."_

But the answer was too simple. It wasn't satisfying, even if he had the truth. Julia had simply walked out of his life as easily as she had walked in, leaving Spike with a broken heart.

_Some wounds…cannot be healed by words._

And as she'd wrapped her arms around him in a familiar hug, Spike's eyes were still dark and cold. The pain that he'd felt for three years couldn't just be put aside like that. Running away from the past now wouldn't kill it. Vicious would find them again, just as he had all the other times.

_On that rainy night, three years ago, I had felt as though I'd been betrayed by two people I'd trusted. Tonight…I felt like I'd confirmed that._

The attack…the escape…it had all happened so fast. Weapons, blood, and death became what the world seemed to be made of. And then all at once, it was as if time stood still.

_That one person…whom I had sought after for so long…_

Spike had hurried to her side, his eyes wide with shock. Julia opened her eyes once more and glanced up at him, murmuring her final words before her life slipped away. Spike's heart was torn; part of him was crying out in sorrow, and the other part, the part that had grown numb years before, still felt betrayed.

_And…_

The last few images of his life were now flashing before him as he had paid a final visit to Jet and Faye before infiltrating the Red Dragon's compound. Shin was shot down while aiding him in an assault, and then he and Vicious confronted each other one last time.

_…I suppose it's true._

Spike had smiled as he staggered, injured, down the crimson stairs of the Red Dragons' Headquarters, the place where he had spent so many years of his life. Why he had been happy, it was hard to say. It was a feeling of relief, in a way. Vicious had been put down for good, and Julia's final words echoed through his mind:

_"It's all just a…dream."_

With that, Spike had collapsed. Unconsciously, Spike smiled as he lay on the stairs of the syndicate lobby, his life draining away.

_What's there to fear in death…anymore?_

_Death…is okay by me._

* * *

Colors whirled around in his mind, grays and blues, and vivid read, swirling in a never-ending motion. Was this heaven or hell? Or simply just…and illusion? There was a soft noise, vaguely piercing the silence of the whirling colors. 

Wincing, Spike slowly opened his eyes, his vision clouded and blurry. He blinked a few times, the image of his surroundings becoming clear. It was a blue sky…or was it…a blue ceiling? A squeaky fan spun slowly around above him.

Spike noted that the wounds on his chest and arms had been bandaged up, and the nicks on his face had been patched up as well. At first, it didn't make any sense to his weary mind, and then it finally registered.

_I'm…alive?  
_

"Just how many times do you plan on getting into these messes and having me rescue you?"

Spike blinked, looking to his side as a familiar, violet-haired woman leaned against the door frame, eyeing him with her emerald eyes.

"Honestly, you're lucky to be alive at all," Faye scolded, shaking her head in a "shame-on-you" way. "The Red Dragons' Headquarters was destroyed by the time I got there," she added, walking toward him. "Guess the ISSP's found them out now, after you practically blew the place up. They've been shut down."

Spike blinked again, Faye's words slowly penetrating.

"And…Vicious?" he asked slowly, eyeing her.

Faye brushed her bangs back, looking away. She hated when Spike acted serious like this. She preferred it when he was getting on her nerves, or just acting like his stupid self. Secretly in her heart, she felt relieved. It wasn't as if she loved Spike, not in the way that love was usually thought of, at least. But even still, Faye didn't want him to leave.

_If this is my…home, then he's part of it. It's not the same without him, much as I hate to admit it._

Faye shrugged.

"It's not like I keep tabs on the whole syndicate or anything," she retorted rather snappishly. "Even if he did survive, he's probably been bagged by the cops."

Upon receiving silence as a reply, Faye glanced back over at the greenish-haired man, who was staring up at the ceiling in a melancholy way.

"I guess…the dream's not over yet," he sighed after a minute, smiling a half-smile.

Faye pursed her lips, walking over to the injured man and slapping him across the cheek. Spike winced, yelping.

"What the hell was that for?!" he shouted, reaching up and tenderly rubbing his cheek as Faye casually walked toward the door once again.

Faye smirked, turning around and looking back at him.

"Funny," she said in an airy voice, Spike blinking as he looked over at her. "I thought you weren't supposed to feel pain in dreams. Guess you're not asleep, after all."

With that, Faye turned on her heel and walked into the next room, leaving Spike staring after her, rubbing his cheek. After a moment, Spike smiled, closing his eyes once more.

* * *

**The End**

Please **review**, and let me know what you thought! Sorry for the delay between the last chapter and the previous one. Between Christmas holidays and traveling I hadn't had much of a chance to write. I hope to continue writing more Cowboy Bebop fics in the near future. Thank you for reading!


End file.
